Igneous
by apathyinreverie
Summary: What if Harry had somehow gotten involved with the mafia after Voldemort's defeat? What if Reborn was just a little too bored? What if the Conqueror met Chaos personified? Harry/Reborn
1. Chapter 1

**Igneous**

What if Harry had somehow gotten involved with the mafia after Voldemort's defeat? What if Reborn was just a little too bored? What if the Conqueror met Chaos personified? Harry/Reborn

A/N: I don't own anything.

Warnings: Angst, slash (please stay away if you don't like) though nothing too graphic, definitely AU in places, will be slow moving especially in the beginning

* * *

Chapter 1

Reborn entered the abandoned building, smirking internally while considering the very obviously intended, ominous feel of the old storage facility. Yeah, very intentionally, supposedly abandoned seemed about right.

He was just going to get in, extract the information and get out before anyone noticed that he had even been there. The base belonged the Corocos Famiglia, a small unimportant Famiglia that had only started to appear on the radar of the bigger players due to their involvement in some unscrupulous and definitely not entirely sanctioned businesses. Corocos had signed their own death warrants with just a few idiotic decisions. Too many people out for revenge, too few people that would work for a Famiglia that did not hold up their end of the contracts. They would vanish within the next few weeks, taken apart by various players, big or small, their business re-distributed between whoever got there first.

And Reborn himself, well he was always first, faster, better than anyone else. So, here he was.

He had gotten information about Corocos 'obtaining' a new technology that was in some way related to Flame activation - and wouldn't Vongola be horrified at that. As the Corocos Famiglia was not known to have any powerful Flame users, this had already been interesting enough for him to at least come check it out. The information on this technology was naturally not supposed to be actually available, but well, he wasn't the World's Greatest Hitman for nothing.

Even though information brokering usually wasn't his thing, he had been entirely too bored and the offered contracts far too much more-of-the-same to hold his interest. Some information brokering was at least going to break up the routine.

Reborn moved through the building, quite leisurely to be honest. The security was almost humorous. Cameras evenly spaced, moving steadily in defined angles... Maybe this wasn't going to be quite as interesting as he had hoped.

* * *

Reborn moved through the second floor basement level of the 'secret' base.

Even though he had already found the target and extracted any information on the technology - which had surprisingly turned out to also include a list of potential Flame users that really shouldn't exist, especially in the hands of some small Famiglia without much of a conscience - something in this part of the building had his instincts coiled quite a bit tighter than he would have expected even just a little while ago.

It might have something to do with the information he now carried with him. Reborn knew how the technology had been obtained, but there had been no clues on how the list had been compiled.

His insticts lurched just as he was passing a corridor to the left, not necessarily to warn him of any danger, but rather as though to make him take notice. He did not have the Vongola intuition, but he had not survived in his line of work for this long or reached and maintained his position at the top by ignoring his instincts, be it good or bad.

To the left it was.

Reborn moved down the corridor and came to a stop at a door on the right side. His instincts were pulling at him insistently and there was nothing in this world that would have been able to keep him from entering this room and investigating. He abhorred going into anything without sufficient information - meaning all information there was on any given situation - but this was...

Not knowing what to expect on the other side, he quickly threw open the door without letting go of it to prevent any noise, gun in hand. There were two men in the room with their backs to him and they were focused entirely on the observation window on the other side of the room. Reborn moved slightly to the side to see better, his Flames humming in the back of his mind.

There was someone tied to a chair in the room on the other side of the window with someone standing over them. Well that solved his need for a source of information then.

The two men in the room with him were taken out without ever noticing his presence and Reborn moved towards the window. The man in the chair seemed to be either unconscious or rather close to it, as he was sitting slumped and his head was lolling. Reborn could only see dark hair and a slim body, as the man was only wearing boxers. Old school interrogation then? Make the body feel weak and the mind will follow?

The other man, assumedly a member of Corocos, was staring down at the man with a seriously deranged expression, a mixture of uncontrolled anger, enjoyment, greed and power. Reborn hated that kind, people who found enjoyment in a completely powerless opponent were entirely beneath his notice.

Though he disliked people who were weak enough to get into a position of complete helplessness almost as much.

However, there was something not right about this situation. The assumed interrogator was not asking any questions, didn't even seem to be trying to get any kind response from the prisoner. Suddenly, he grabbed the prisoner's hair and harshly pulled his head up.

Reborn almost drew in a sharp breath. The man - or should he say boy, probably not quite out of his teens yet - was quite beautiful, delicate with fine bone structure and pale skin. But the feature that really grabbed his attention was the blazing green eyes. Although it appeared as though the prisoner would not even have the strength to sit up on his own, there was no capitulation in his gaze, no fear. There was resentment, resignation and anger - or rather utter fury - and contempt in the small slits of his eyes. Well, even if this person turned out to be entirely useless, Reborn would truly enjoy having him writhing beneath him, eyes blazing up at him.

Decision made, Reborn nonchalantly entered through the door next to the observation window, while surreptitiously confirming the lack of cameras in the room, fully intending to move towards the two occupants. However, with the opening of the door, his prior assessment of the situation was entirely thrown out.

Sky Flames. Powerful Sky Flames of ridiculous purity saturated the room.

His brain took only an additional moment, a slight hesitation that was barely noticeable on the outside, while recalculating everything. The man in the chair was a Sky, a ridiculously powerful one at that.

The Corocos goon had not even really noticed Reborn's entrance, too focused on the captured Sky. However, the blazing green eyes had immediately focused on Reborn, assessed him and apparently determined him to be more of a threat than the guy standing right in front of him. Reborn actually felt himself preen on the inside.

Though the Corocos member appeared to have noticed his presence now, even if only because the object of his interest had his focus diverted elsewhere. He still did not turn around.

"Get out. It's my turn. All of you tanked. But I'm not a pussy like you. I will be first." He sounded quite deranged, but Reborn understood immediately what was going on, putting the information together.

The list with potential Flame users. There had been different Flame types on that list when he had glanced at it and it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume it might have included potential Sky Flame users. Possibly even civilian. Because there was no way the Sky tied to the chair would have been able to go unnoticed in the mafia. It was a miracle someone had not stumbled across him by accident, civilian or not.

So the Sky had been identified, somehow, and had been forced into activation with the newly 'obtained' technology. However, there was no apparent usage or leakage of the Flames. Had the Sky somehow been able to rein in his Flames almost immediately?

The setup in the interrogation room also gained an entirely different context. The temperature was set incredibly low, so much so that Reborn could feel it even though his Sun Flames kept his temperature elevated at all times. Probably starvation and sleep deprivation as well, going by the haggard expression on the Sky's face. This setup was intended to weaken the Sky, force him into accepting bonds and with Elements far below his own power at that. With a Sky of this power any Famiglia would immediately move up in the ranks. Though Reborn doubted that they would have remained there. For a Sky like this, some other more powerful Famiglia would soon have swooped in and taken him for themselves.

However, going by what the goon had said, so far no one had been able to force the Sky into any kind of bond. Reborn felt like licking his lips. Even more so, as the green eyes had not left him since he had entered, almost seeming to dismiss the Corocos entirely as a threat in comparison to Reborn.

A quick move forwards and the deranged mafia goon was unconscious, in case there was any information Reborn might need later on. If not, killing him would not require any additional effort on his part. With the same movement he reached out and supported the Sky's head underneath his chin as the lunatic collapsed. Afterwards, he would be torn between calling himself all kinds of a fool in the privacy of own mind or enthusiastically congratulating himself for this action.

It had been instinctive, his Flames, his entire being focused on the Sky. With the skin contact, the bond slammed into place.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't own anything. Also, I'm not a native speaker, so I am sorry about any mistakes and I am always grateful for feedback.

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Chapter 2

Harry hated the Potter luck.

Everyone was always referring to his incredible luck for getting out of all kinds of sticky situations. However, no one ever appeared to remember that it was the same luck that got him into those messes in the first place. His luck was incredible alright, continuously switching from incredibly bad to incredibly good and back around again, getting him into the worst kind of situations and then promptly flipping around and getting him out of them again. In reverse, whenever anything really good happened in his life, he knew the Potter luck would come around and ensure that he did not get too comfortable.

Well, it certainly kept his life interesting at all times and made boredom pretty much impossible.

Case in point, not even three months had passed since Voldemort's defeat - he had finally dared to hope for a life without obligations - and here he was, tied to a chair, by Muggles of all things. Not that he wasn't glad that it wasn't some kind of Death Eater faction that had captured him, but still, he could have done entirely without to be honest.

Especially, as he couldn't use his magic to get away.

* * *

After the Battle of Hogwarts, he had been in a state of shock, trying to get used to the idea that it was over, he had done it. They had won. Voldemort was gone. He was finally free to live his life, a life after Voldemort, something he had barely dared to hope for. It had taken him a while to get over the vertigo.

And then his mind had burst into a flurry of activity, considering options, dreams, possibilities. First, he had gotten a flat right off the Leaky Cauldron in the Muggle World. His own place. Something to make everything seem more real. Somewhere just for him and his thoughts, though at that point, most of his time had been spent helping with the restorations, organizing funerals and attending trials. But whenever he got to his flat, he had a few moments for his own grief, of quiet and contemplation and memories. He had kept the flat secret, even from friends and allies, and for the first time he did not feel any guilt for keeping something - _anything_ \- of his life entirely to himself.

Then the Potter luck reared its head.

In the weeks after the battle, he had felt a kind of disquiet in his magic, neither in the way it usually warned him of the worst kind of danger nor in a way that might suggest a loss in its strength. Just a certain unsteadiness. For as long as he could remember, his magic had been a soothing, steady background hum in his mind - even at the Dursley's, long before he had had a name for it. Only during his worst moments - _Sirius_ \- did his magic turn tumultuous.

This waver in his magic had terrified him, especially when he had felt his magic start retreating further and further into his core. Between the restorations and the funerals it had still taken him a while before he actually went to visit Madam Pompfrey. She had been horrified and had called for a mediwizard from St. Mungo's for a consult.

There had been a lot of tests and prodding, discussions and theories. Additional specialists had been called in. And then more tests.

As it turned out, his magic was working to recalibrate itself so to speak, trying to find a new balance without the effects of the horcrux to be constantly isolated and counteracted. And hadn't that been a kick in the teeth. Madam Pomfrey had practically been spitting nails when she and Mediwizard Biran realized what was causing the imbalance. Apparently, there would have been options for the removal of the horcrux, options beyond him walking to his death like a gullible fool.

Additionally, the final battle itself had also taken a toll on his magic. Even though he had been able to dodge most spells aimed at him, he had not been able to entirely escape the magic and the intent behind the curses. The spell currents that remained with each casting, whether a spell reached its intended target or not, had been thick in the air that night. The currents of numerous dark and light spells cast during the battle had taken a toll on his naturally grey magic and thrown it out of whack. And last but not least, the Avada itself.

Mediwizard Biran and the specialists had devised a treatment plan to help support the balancing of his magic. It had included rituals and a strict potions regimen, as they had agreed that any additional magic cast on him directly might turn out to be harmful rather than helpful.

They had been adamant that he was to start the treatment immediately. Harry had been informed, that the treatment would be a shock to his system, as it would pretty much remove any kind of previous structure his magic had fallen into over the years. The treatment would allow his magic to form an entirely new balance, without any outside disturbances. Accordingly, he would probably be out of it for quite a bit, while his magic settled back into his core.

Even though Harry had not been amused in the least, he could concede that there was a distinct lack in his usual instinctual magic. The bone deep relief he had felt at the news that this could be fixed had almost taken his breath away. For once in his life he would actually adhere to the recommended treatment plan. Because he treasured his magic unquestionably.

They had agreed that Harry would start the treatment at St. Mungo's and stay there in the beginning. He was to remain in a magically stable environment, especially during the initial phase of the treatment. As soon as his magic smoothed out, he would be moved to Hogwarts - he had argued that St. Mungo's and Hogwarts should be at least kind of similar regarding the day to day magic use happening around him. Harry had no interest in staying at the hospital indefinitely even though he wasn't too thrilled about returning to the site of the Final Battle right away either.

After the treatment, he was to refrain from using any magic for a while to give his magic some time to settle. According to the healers, his magic should be sufficiently reliable again about two months after the start of the treatment. Unless there were any exacerbating factors that might induce stress or fluctuations of his magic, as Madam Pomfrey had pointed out sardonically. Well, she had been treating him for years, she was used to his luck by now.

They had started the treatment as planned and the final procedure had been a ritual designed to support the stabilization of his magic. Harry had not been lucid after the first few rituals, so he was not entirely sure how much time had passed at that point.

Unsurprisingly, this was not enough for the Potter luck.

Even though he had barely had any meaningful contact with anyone for weeks at this point - all of them, him included, far too busy to take the time to get together, and in the case of Ron and Hermione actually glad to be able to separate for a bit after seeing each other day in and day out for months, living in a tent - they had apparently heard of the treatment somehow.

His wonderful _bloody_ friends - though he was not certain whether he wanted to call them that at this point in time - and the remaining Order members had decided to start making decisions for him while he was in no shape to object. For some reason, they had decided that he should stay with his relatives while he recuperated.

Never mind that Madam Pomfrey had specified that he should not switch between locations of strong and weak magical saturation. Not like his opinion on the matter had been considered - or asked really.

He could barely remember the trip from St. Mungo's - though Merlin only knows how they got him released, as he was sure Madam Pomfrey and Mediwizard Biran would have ripped them apart - and there were some recollections of Ron and Hermione explaining their reasoning. As far as Harry understood, Ron and Hermione were going to leave for Australia soon to look for the Grangers. They felt it was too much of a hassle to keep him at St. Mungo's during that time - and didn't the Headmaster always say, there were extra protections at the Dursleys' for him? - completely disregarding the fact that they had not been involved in his treatment or hospital stay at all. It hadn't made much sense to him then, and it didn't make any more sense now. Actually, he was rather spitting mad, furious.

They had dropped him off and disappeared right after. He had realized that none of his 'rescuers' had thought to inform his relatives of his return to their home, as signified by his Aunt's screeching when she found him in one of the beds the next morning.

The adjustment to the lack of surrounding magic had thrown him into a semi-lucid state for a while afterwards. What he did remember however, was his Uncle's yelling and threats. And then there had been strangers. He was not sure what had happened, though he could mostly guess. He remembered his Uncle's satisfied expression in the hallway as Harry was carried outside. There might have even been some money involved for all that Harry knew or cared.

Harry had lost track of the proceedings for a while and he guessed they had traveled, as he had felt the strain on his core, before they had finally stopped. He had focused what remained of his awareness on soothing his magic and keeping it as tightly coiled into his core as he could.

He had been shocked brutally out of his focus by pain. Not physical pain - he had learned years ago that physical pain could rarely ever compete - but it felt as though something was ripping at his very center. He had frantically checked on his magic, to find it in chaos though not directly affected by whatever was happening. No, whatever was slowly, _excruciatingly_ ripping was something else entirely.

He could feel something - a warmth he could only barely remember ever having felt - seep into the spaces his magic usually occupied, moving outwards. Not knowing what was happening Harry immediately reached for the warmth pulling it in, coiling it with his magic at his core. More and more and more. He coiled the warmth around - not into - his core as though it were an extra layer around it, before he lost consciousness entirely.

When Harry came to again, his magic was still coiling smoothly in his core and the warmth had formed something of a protective layer around it.

Ok, so that was good - whatever that warmth was, it felt like a part of him, something that should be right where it was, similar to his magic but not, and Harry had lived by his instincts and intuition for as long as he could remember, so he was damn well going to stick with it.

Not so good was the cold that had his limbs shaking. Limbs that seemed to be tied to a chair.

* * *

Which brought him back to his current problem and how for once in his life he could not rely on his magic to get out of it. He could not simply magic his way out of the ties and walk away. For one, he would prefer to not hinder the recuperation of his magic as Biran had emphasized that using his magic at this point would set back his recovery significantly. Additionally, he did not think he would have been able to actually walk at all.

Someone - a man going by the voice and the shoes he could see off to the side - was gripping his arm and saying something, yelling more like. Whether it was aimed at him or not, he did not have the strength to sit up or react. His arm was let go and the man was moving away, a door slamming, then quiet.

Though Harry was pretty certain there was still someone in the room with him. Then a small, feminine hand was pressed to his chest - his naked chest, well, that explained the cold at least - and there was a constant stream of lilting words. Something was reaching for him, something intangible - electricity? - prodding somehow. He snorted to himself, quite haughtily to be honest, and slammed his shields down. A loud gasp. The hand and the damn prodding vanished.

He lost track for a bit then. The prodding returned - he suppressed a shudder and made sure his shields were impenetrable - then something with a bit more force - liquid, it felt oily somehow - and then again - heat, too dry - and again - the electricity again? - and again and again and again. Merlin only knows how long it went on. Harry was aware sometimes, but mostly focused inward, sometimes he slept. It might have been days.

At some point he would really have liked to forcefully 'prod' back. Though, better not irritate these people before he could at least get some kind of read on his situation.

He might have drifted off again, but abruptly came awake when someone grabbed his hair and pulled up his head. He peeled his eyes open as far as he could and did his best to convey utmost contempt with his eyes. The guy who had grabbed him was saying something, though it sounded unintelligible. It might have been a different language altogether or Harry's brain might have just decided to go on vacation, but even though he did not understand a word, he could certainly recognize greed when he saw it.

So the guy, or people as the case might be, wanted something from him. Well that was just bloody perfect, wasn't it.

The door on the other side of the room opened and another man entered. Harry's instincts immediately kicked into high gear. This one was dangerous, truly dangerous. He could practically see the air around the man shimmer - not a wizard though, that much was easy to tell. Harry kept his eyes fixed on the man - as much as he could - and he noticed a barely there hesitation right after the man stepped into the room. Something was off, Harry could practically feel it. This man was dangerous and he didn't belong here. So Harry's position might either be getting better or a whole lot worse.

He barely registered the man's quick movements across the room - Merlin, he was fast - before the hold in his hair disappeared as the guy in front of him just collapsed. Before his head could even start to fall to rest on his chest again, Harry felt two fingers slip underneath his chin, holding up his head. Blazing green met shadowed black.

Harry felt the warmth around his core lurch forwards at once and an answering heat - _firelifelightheat_ \- from the man in front of him. A connection practically slammed into place. A connection that - though it felt rather comforting - also felt very much permanent.

Harry saw the man's eyes widen slightly, a conflicted look flitting across his face for a brief moment, before a smugly satisfied grin took its place.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise. Wouldn't you agree, beautiful?"

Harry absolutely despised the Potter luck.

* * *

 **To fai. pailin** : Thanks for your review! Your question about what happened to Harry's magic actually got me to write a far more elaborate explanation than I had planned originally. Hope you like it :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 3

Years ago, right after he had joined the mafia, Reborn had been quite happy to remain unattached, free, able to do whatever he pleased, to make a name for himself, and in no hurry to find himself a Sky or a Famiglia at all.

It had taken years before his Flames had truly started to feel the longing for a Sky. Long after he had attained a name that had his enemies and targets tremble in fear and Famiglias lining up to recruit him, to somehow catch him, he had started to look for that connection, a place to belong, to stay, to call home. In the beginning it hadn't even been a conscious decision. But his Flames had started to long for the bond and - though he would not admit it on the pain of death - he himself had also looked for companionship.

But even though he had been looking for years, even though his Flames - _desperately_ \- longed for the connection, he was also a proud man. He would not - _could_ _not_ \- settle for just any Sky and neither would his Flames. He was the strongest Sun in the mafia world, the World's Greatest Hitman, and as it turned out, too strong for any Sky in existence.

He had quickly come to if not generally despise then definitely distrust Sky Flame users. Reborn was famous and skilled. Based on the constant offers, any position of his choice in any Famiglia of his choice would probably be open to him, if he were to show interest. He had a reputation and his own network of spies and alliances. Whenever he met a Sky he felt their Flames trying to establish the connection - by force or subterfuge. They failed. Every single one a disappointment, not able to form that bond, wearing on him and his hope of ever being able to find a Sky.

When even the Vongola failed - and they had tried, every single one of them, some trying for 'subtle' and possibly convinced he hadn't noticed their reaching for him - he had consciously given up on the hope of finding a Sky strong enough to reel him in.

Well, until now that was.

* * *

Even though he had felt the Sky Flames when he had entered the interrogation room and had been surprised by their strength and purity, he had not been prepared for this. The Flames he had felt saturating the room were nothing compared to what was still hiding within his - _his_ \- Sky.

The bond, as brutal as the forming of the connection had been, was pure welcoming warmth. It took less than a moment to take stock, to revel in the feeling of the bond - the strength was surprising - and to let his satisfaction steal across his face. Well, the welcoming certainly did not transfer to his Sky's expression, that much was for sure. The green eyes were challenging him.

He just couldn't help himself. "Well, this certainly is a surprise. Wouldn't you agree, beautiful?"

The eyes blazed to life - and something inside Reborn purred at the fire, the strength, the defiance - even though the owner wouldn't even be able to stand on his own. Speaking of which, this just wouldn't do, the restraints had to go. Reborn was very willing to have his barely clothed, beautiful Sky lean on him - rely on him - in order to remain upright, very willing indeed.

He easily removed the bindings one-handed and as expected his Sky sagged towards him immediately - why these people had thought it necessary to restrain his Sky at all would remain a mystery. Reborn easily lifted his Sky and with a few quick steps carried him into the adjacent observation room. He set him down onto the table so Reborn could have his Sky lean on him while also remaining upright and ready to defend if necessary. His Sky certainly felt lovely tucked into Reborn's side as he was.

Reborn let his Sun Flames warm the room and his Sky shivered lightly against him.

"W- Where?" His Sky's speech was slurred, barely understandable.

Well, at least he knew to ask the important questions first. His Sky was also astoundingly calm, especially if Reborn was right about him being civilian. Definitely a story there. Or maybe just good instincts as there would be no harm done to Reborn's Sky, ever again.

"Base of the Corocos Famiglia." Reborn could see the confusion in his Sky's expression. So, his assessment of a civilian Sky might truly be correct. "Do you know what they drugged you with?"

A look between confusion and irritation. "No dr'gs."

"You can barely speak much less move on your own, beautiful. This certainly looks like drugs to me." Reborn did not even try to keep the humor out of his voice.

His Sky paused. "Med'cine."

The humor immediately evaporated and a chill worked itself down Reborn's spine. Medicine? His Sky was sick? His chest tightened and ice-like fear dragged through his veins. "Medicine for what?"

Apparently, his expression had not been as blank as he had intended. For a brief moment Reborn could see hesitation flit through his Sky's barely open green eyes.

" 's cure."

What kind of cure had a patient still barely coherent for an extended period afterwards? ' _Poison_.' Reborn's mind whispered. "To a hospital it is."

"No." There was strength in this one word.

Reborn raised his eyebrows. His Sky was sick and he did not want to go to a hospital? Had he been abducted from a hospital? "I know a very good and trustworthy doctor."

"No."

Trust Reborn to end up with a stubborn Sky. However, he could see something in his Sky's eyes. It wasn't fear of the hospital, it was something else. There seemed to be a definite reason he did not want to go. And most importantly of all, Reborn's instincts were urging him to believe his Sky.

"Where would you like to go then?" Though Reborn sounded sardonically amused at best, there was clear relief in his Sky's expression. Well, Reborn could always order Shamal to come to him.

"Home."

"And where would that be?" Not that he would be taking his Sky anywhere but Reborn's own place. That didn't mean Reborn wouldn't be fishing for any and all kind of information he could get his hands on.

Now it was his Sky's turn to look slightly amused, clearly aware of what he was doing. There was no answer forthcoming. Well, well, well, this was getting better and better.

A smirk stole across Reborn's face. "Off we go then."

And suddenly something like panic sparked in his Sky's expression. "Th'ngs."

Ok, this was even beyond Reborn's mind reading capabilities. The question must have shown on his face.

"My possess'ns."

Ah. He could see the urgency on his Sky's face. It didn't make much sense though just for some missing clothes. His _civilian_ Sky should be far more concerned with getting out of here, so there had to be something else that his Sky was worried about. Still, he tried "Don't worry, you look lovely as you are. We can get you something to wear later."

Reborn could see denial on his Sky's face without him having to say something. So there was something important missing then. Reborn felt like sighing. Definitely stubborn.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around his Sky's shoulders, before he had him lean against the wall the table was pushed against. Barely open green eyes blinked at him sluggishly.

Okay then.

Reborn turned to the still unconscious goon he had dragged with them to the observation room.

* * *

Harry watched as the man focused on the unconscious guy on the floor.

This was certainly turning out to be... interesting. Not only had he been captured, then apparently freed, but he now also had some kind of - magical? - bond with this man. A man that definitely knew how to fight just judging by what little Harry had seen.

And by Merlin, the man was gorgeous.

Ok. Stop. This really wasn't the time to start contemplating his sexuality... Even if that was definitely the right face to start contemplating for. Harry actually felt a slight flush crawling up his neck and was suddenly even more thankful for the jacket around his shoulders. The man had already been leaning towards infuriating during their brief conversation, no need to give him any more ammunition.

The man was wearing a black suit - well, now Harry was wearing part of it - with a yellow shirt that seemed oddly bright on his person, though the color surprisingly suited the man. Harry would do his bloody best to ignore the fact that he himself had been mostly naked for most of their conversation.

The man's hand had covered most of his right ribcage, front to back, while he had held him up on the table. Harry was blaming the shiver that had gone through him at that feeling on the sudden warmth that had spread through the room and he was going to stick with that story.

Just based on their brief - very one-sided - conversation, the man was also used to an _interesting_ lifestyle. The comment on knowing a trustworthy doctor - as in contrast to non-trustworthy doctors - made that very clear, even beyond his presence here. Wherever that may be.

The picture Harry was able to put together of where exactly he had ended up was turning out rather grim indeed. The clues were all there. Considering the combination of human trafficking - they had _bought_ him from his family -, money - airtravel did not come cheap and pretty much ruled out any wizarding involvement - and human experimentation - something in Harry had been changed, _freed_ -, the only explanation Harry could come up with was organized crime. Well, the answer to Harry's first question had made that even clearer, because even after years in the Wizarding World, Harry was well aware of what the term Famiglia signified.

The conversation itself had been rather strange as well. The man seemed to actually be seriously invested in Harry's wellbeing. While Harry could not actually be certain that he hadn't been drugged at some point during his captivity - it was even rather likely he had been - he also knew that his natural defenses would have already taken care of that. The basilisk venom in his blood alone would burn out any non-magical medicine, drug or poison within minutes, while the phoenix tears would work to counteract any potential damage. His healers had been torn between enthusiastic curiosity and resigned exasperation when they figured out that depending on the ingredients a lot of potions would be useless for Harry's treatment.

Although Harry would usually just dismiss the man's seeming concern as some kind of ploy, there was the bond's urging to trust this man to be considered. If his magic hadn't been so very calm and clearly unconcerned by the man or the bond, Harry's reaction to the bond would have been on the exactly opposite end of the spectrum for that reason alone.

Though Harry had to admit he was more than of out of his depths here. Not necessarily because he had been captured and held by people who wanted something from him, while completely disregarding Harry himself at the same time. That was his entire life story, just more of the same. No the problem here was, that Harry had no idea where he was, who the people that had brought him - _bought_ him - were, who this man was. Too many unanswered questions. The bond hummed and even though that might turn out to be a problem - he did not even know what the warmth forming the bond was - his magic remained calm.

Harry felt incredibly vulnerable right now. Not only because his magic was not available to him, but even more so because he could barely focus on anything happening around him. Well, with the exception of this man in front of him. Although his magic was calm right now, he might not be able to focus on defending himself even if it became necessary.

Right now, there was no way Harry would be able to overpower this man - who had shown he was very much capable of taking out his opponents, like the guy he was questioning or the two bodies on the floor that Harry was doing his very best to ignore - or even have the strength to get up and walk away.

This was exactly was the healers had described as a consequence of moving him too soon after his treatment and why it was to be avoided. They had even vetoed the trip from St. Mungo's to Hogwarts for the initial phase of his recovery for that very reason.

Harry was going to bloody _murder_ his _friends_.

Still, this man's presence was somehow calming his instincts, soothing his magic, making Harry feel safer, protected. At least his ability to focus had definitely increased with his appearance and his magic had settled further - almost like it had taken a step back, certain that Harry would still be protected, it was _disconcerting_. Well, before the man had appeared, he had barely been able to form a thought much less words and the turning point seemed to be the appearance of this man, or rather the bond that had formed between them.

Additionally, Harry had no way to judge whether he might be better off in his previous situation or not, so his instincts were his only reference right now.

Well, here's to hoping.

However, even assuming that in contrast to any other situation of Harry's life there was suddenly a person that was entirely safe - who would want to protect _Harry_ for once - that did not mean this man was actually capable of it. Harry would remain alert so he could at least try to keep an eye on things.

Harry heard the man get back up again. There had been some back and forth between the two men - one calm, the other panicked - but Harry had not even tried to focus on it and at some point he must have closed his eyes. Which spoke for itself. Not only did he trust this man enough to close his eyes at all, but he had not even felt alarm in the presence of a clear threat.

Interesting didn't even come close to covering this.

* * *

As Reborn got back to his feet he was already remapping the route to the room with his Sky's - and it would definitely take some time to get used to that - possessions in his mind. Though some of the things the goon had babbled at him didn't make much sense to Reborn. Still, he would have time - _all the time in the world_ \- to figure out the answers to any and all questions he had about his Sky later on. He had felt his Sky's stare on him during the brief interrogation and seeing his Sky's half-lidded, slightly darkened out-of-focus green eyes on him definitely confirmed that thought. Oh yes, finding out anything and everything about his Sky would be fun indeed.

"Your possessions are kept one floor up. According to him, there should be no additional guards."

There was pure skepticism on his Sky's face, questioning the reliability of the information. Definitely not stupid.

"I've got a reputation, beautiful. He wouldn't dare lie to me." Reborn smirked lazily. "Finding your things shouldn't be a problem at all. Getting there, however..."

He could see the realization on his Sky's face, not only regarding the fact that he would require Reborn's support to get there but also how much Reborn would be enjoying this very fact.

He stepped in close, looped his Sky's arms around his neck and slipped an arm underneath his legs, easily lifting him while wearing one of his most infuriating smirks.

It was so very worth it, just to see the slight flush on his Sky's cheeks and the green eyes blazing up at him.

* * *

A/N: You guys are awesome! Thanks so much for all the reviews!

Chapter 2 review responses:

 **To Guest#1:** Thanks for your review! I think both Reborn and Harry have been looking for companionship for too long to just jeopardize this by not sharing at all, even if the sharing won't be of the immediate 'we-have-a-bond-so-let's-just-ignore-our-fucked-up-life-experiences' kind :) There will definitely be more on Harry's magic in later chapters so I'm glad this explanation was realistic. I probably won't be able to refrain from throwing in some magical theory as well :)

 **To Diamond Yandere:** Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the explanation about Harry's situation, there will be some more on this in later chapters. Oh, Harry will definitely be having 'words' with quite a few people and especially with Ron and Hermione later on :) Though there won't be any real character bashing in this fic.

 **To bookimp:** Thank you for your review! That's exactly what I thought. Harry's strength of will is emphasized all the time and I think that would definitely play a role in forming bonds. Also, Harry is used to fighting incredibly focused Legilimency attacks (possession by Voldemort!), so he should be able to deflect most other attacks on his mind.

 **To Kshail:** Thanks for your review! I'm having the same problem with HP/KHR at the moment :) There won't be anything graphic in this (still definitely and clearly slash!), though I will definitely give a heads up should that change at any point. I'm glad you liked the explanation as to how Harry got stuck in this particular mess. Though no comment on when this is taking place in KHR yet :)

 **To ShizuBABE:** Thank you for your review! I noticed that the paragraphs were too long as well when I went back :) Thanks for pointing that out though. I already tried to fix it in the second and third chapter and I hope it works better.

 **To Guest#5:** Thanks for your review! Reborn is speaking English same as the mafia goon, who is well aware of what language Harry speaks. In retrospect, Harry not understand what the goon is saying might have been misleading. Harry is just incredibly out of it at that point and can't make much sense of anything, much less of what is being said to him. Thanks for pointing that out to me though :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 4

There had been no interruptions on their way to the first level of the basement or the room with his Sky's things. Actually, those possessions hadn't consisted of much at all. A non-descript bag, kind of like a messenger bag, and a strange wrap-around kind of gown. There had been no shoes and as the Corocos had kept the gown there would have been no reason to throw out the shoes. So, his Sky probably hadn't been wearing any shoes during his capture. The hospital theory was becoming more and more likely.

His Sky had immediately reached for the bag - was this what the goon had been babbling about? - and after a brief search dragged out a small pouch on a thin leather string as though to be worn around the neck. So that was clearly one of the things his Sky had been looking for.

And then his Sky had stuck his hand and far more of his arm into the pouch than should ever have reasonably fit. Reborn would definitely be demanding some answers. Soon.

But his Sky had apparently found whatever he had been looking for in that pouch, because there had been clear relief in his eyes.

Soon after whatever stubbornness had kept his Sky awake up to that point ran out and even though he had clearly tried to remain alert, his eyes were now closed. Reborn moved through the base with his Sky tucked neatly into his arms. He felt the exhaustion pulling at his Sky's Flames, urging Reborn to get him somewhere safe.

Still, the Corocos Famiglia had deprived his Sky of his freedom, food, rest and who knows what else. Reborn had already rigged the lower levels with explosives and a few more to make sure nothing of this base remained - where his Sky had been kept - couldn't hurt. That would take care of any possible traces of his Sky and Reborn ever having been here. As Reborn had originally gone after the technology without a contract, there would be no way to link the destruction to him.

The rest of the Corocos Famiglia would have to wait until he had his Sky safe and tucked away at home. Hm, even though Reborn would love nothing more to raze them to the ground, he would have to be carful. It would raise too many questions and he had no intention whatsoever to make the existence of his Sky general knowledge. He would have to find another convincing reason for his rampage. Maybe he could take on one of their contracts - which were being avoided by most - let himself be betrayed and then take the Famiglia apart. This would have its own drawbacks as he would have to get the contract anonymously - no one, absolutely no one would be insane enough to try and set up the World's Greatest Hitman. Definitely something to consider though.

Well, first things first. With the exhaustion pulling at his Sky Reborn had all the more reason to get him to his apartment and hide him from the world - keep him for Reborn himself.

As he moved out of the base, Reborn considered his options. Though Reborn had an apartment in the next city, it did not even come close to being sufficiently fortified and at the very least Vongola might know of its existence. There was another secure apartment a little further away but decently close still.

Decision made, Reborn tucked his Sky into the passenger seat of his car. Just in the time it took him to move to the other side and get behind the wheel, his Sky had started to rouse slightly.

Reborn noted smugly that just a brief reassuring touch of his hand was enough to settle his Sky. The bond that had formed between them was ridiculous in its strength. Reborn had seen other newly bonded and neither Sky nor Element had been quite this dependent. It might be increased by the stressful circumstances, or the setup in the interrogation room, or his Sky's barely lucid state and thus his increased need for protection. However, Reborn had a feeling there might be other exacerbating factors. Factors that he was not aware of.

Reborn definitely had questions for his Sky.

Well, as far as the dependency on touch went, Reborn was very willing to accommodate. A smirk flitted across his face. He re-arranged his Sky's position to lean against the passenger seat sideways with his back to the passenger door and settled the slim naked legs into his lap for the drive.

The trip to his safe house passed without a hitch and without his Sky truly waking at any point. Reborn even switched cars in between - there was no such thing as too paranoid, especially now - and his Sky had barely twitched during the transfer.

Pulling up to the apartment complex, he punched in the code to the garage. It was 3am right now, so it should be relatively safe to assume that even if he were to carry his Sky through the building to the apartment directly, there would be no one to see them.

Reborn would actually prefer to check the apartment first, however, leaving his unconscious Sky on his own in the car wasn't an option. At all.

This was certainly giving him a taste of why single Guardians were always so damn twitchy. Being forced to drag a Sky _into_ a potentially dangerous situation in order to _avoid_ a potentially dangerous situation. That would wear on anyone.

Not that Reborn would have problems defending his Sky on his own, even with his Sky in his arms. Reborn would just really have preferred not to. Still, nothing for it.

* * *

That had been five days ago. Reborn watched his Sky as he slept tucked into Reborn's bed. His Sky had been sleeping for almost five days straight at this point, only ever rousing enough to drink some of the soup Reborn offered, without ever being truly aware. Something in Reborn purred at this kind of unquestioning trust, but the long period of near-unconsciousness was gnawing at him.

Reborn moved towards the kitchen area as he considered all the questions that had amassed along the way.

* * *

Harry felt himself coming more aware. How long had he been out of it? He actually felt rested, his mind better focused and his magic coiling rather smoothly in his core.

The bond was still humming in his mind. So, that hadn't been some weird dream his semi-lucid mind had come up with. Wonderful.

Where was he then? Harry remembered the man carrying him for a bit and collecting his things. To his utmost relief his pouch had been there. It had actually been Sirius' and Harry had found it when he had started to sort through Grimmauld Place in the weeks after Voldemort's defeat. The pouch was small from the outside, just big enough to fit his hand, and rather flat. It was of course extended on the inside and carried some rather ingenious charms against theft of the pouch itself, theft from the pouch, charms for diversion of attention and quite a few more, probably even some that Harry wasn't even aware of.

Harry had stored some of his most treasured belongings in the pouch, including the few memorabilia he had of his parents and of Sirius, as well as the Hallows which he had re-collected a few weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts. He had no actual interest in holding another title, real or not, but just the possibility that the legend might be true... At some point someone else might go for the elder wand and even worse he had dropped the resurrection stone in the Forbidden Forest on Hogwarts grounds. What if a kid found it by accident? Harry had never had anyone check whether there might be any harmful magic remaining on the ring after the removal of the Horcrux or of the curse that had been triggered by Dumbledore.

He had gathered the wand and the ring and stored both with his cloak in Sirius' pouch. Maybe he would research a way to destroy the items at some point or bury them in his Gringotts vault never to be found again. No one knew he carried all three Hallows. As far as Ron and Hermione knew, the wand had been destroyed and the ring had been lost. Harry did not intend to ever inform anyone otherwise.

Well, back to his current situation. Harry slowly peeled his eyes open. He was still tired.

Harry stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, which wasn't that surprising as the man from before had pretty much declared he was taking Harry somewhere. Home, as Harry had demanded - wherever that turned out to be.

He heard movement off to the side and as though summoned by his thoughts the man appeared in his field of vision.

"Hello there, beautiful. I hope you had a good rest." The man easily lifted Harry from the bed he had been lying in, neatly tucked under the covers.

Harry was still too close to sleep to protest while he was carried out of the bedroom into what seemed to be the living room and set down on the sofa. The man poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the low table and sat down next to him - close, really close -, easily wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and pulled him into his side. He offered the glass of water with a straw and Harry slowly blinked at the man, trying to compute his situation in general and the change in location in particular.

He saw a grin work itself onto the man's face. "Enjoying the view, beautiful?"

By Merlin this guy was going to be infuriating, Harry could already tell. Still, he laboriously reached for the water - his throat felt as though someone had taken some sandpaper to it - but hesitated when he saw his hand shaking. Sighing internally, he reached for the straw instead - the man accommodated easily, probably having expected something like it already - and Harry gratefully drank some sips.

He could easily recognize the deprivation in himself - damn his childhood - to know to measure himself and take small sips as to not overtax his stomach right off the bat. Harry could feel the man's eyes intently fixed on his face.

"How long?" Harry asked and was surprised how clear the words sounded compared to the slurring from before.

"It's been five days since our meeting." The man answered. "You were awake a few times in between, enough to drink some soup, but not lucid. Going by your expression you are aware of your tendency of rousing from unconsciousness long enough to be fed, before going under again. It's an interesting habit you have there."

That was definitely a question, or rather a demand for an answer. Harry was well aware of how his magic made sure he survived. However, it was still rather disturbing that his magic and instincts had trusted this man unquestionably, in a way that he would take sustenance without any kind of awareness on his part.

Well, maybe pretending obliviousness would get him out of answering that one for now. Harry would like to keep this man agreeable at least until he could move on his own again. He considered the first part of the statement. Five days? Well, that explained why he felt a clear difference compared to the last time he had been aware.

"Where are we?" His speech was still kind of dragging, but he was definitely getting there.

The man obviously knew Harry was avoiding the question but seemed to be willing to let it go for now. "A safe house."

Or not. That was clearly revenge for the lack of answers by being as reticent as possible. "What country?" Harry could still remember the strain on his magic during the airplane travel.

There was no surprise on the man's face and the man's expression seemed to soften slightly at the edges. Harry felt his stomach drop. "We are in Italy at the moment."

Well, damn.

At least it was still the same continent?

* * *

Reborn could see the shock and definite irritation in his Sky's eyes.

He felt tremendously relieved at seeing his Sky aware and somewhat recovered from his previous state. If it hadn't been for his Sky's clear assertion to avoid doctors - their bond urging Reborn to believe, to wait - he would have brought his Sky to a hospital right away. However, bringing anyone to his apartment - and thus divulging their location - wasn't an option and just the thought of taking his Sky anywhere else made Reborn gnash his teeth.

It would also have required Reborn to reveal that he had bonded and the news that he had a Sky would spread through the mafia within hours.

From now on the easiest way to permanently tie Reborn to any Famiglia would be to capture his Sky and force additional Guardian bonds on him. Reborn would not be able to kill any other Guardians without risking harm to his Sky. So after all these years of freedom, Reborn would be caught. And his Sky would be the tool to get him there and keep him there, constantly in danger and under threat possibly from the very Famiglia that they would be forced into.

For the first time since he had gained a reputation in the mafia, the World's Greatest Hitman had a weak spot.

Mafia Famiglias would be rushing to be the first to get leverage over Reborn, force Reborn into an alliance. By using his Sky. His _civilian_ Sky.

The world would _burn_ before Reborn let anything happen to his _home_.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ok, you guys are simply awesome! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm amazed and a little bit in love with you guys! Although I had to try to cut down the responses a bit, otherwise they are going to overtake the actual chapters soon ^^ I'm still going to try to respond to direct questions.

Chapter 3 review responses:

 **To Wicken25:** Thanks for your review! I agree that Hermione is the better friend (which isn't even a question since Ron simply fails), but there are problems with her friendship as well. In any case, there will be no real character bashing in this story.

 **To Celesta SunStar:** Thanks for the review! Luna will make an appearance, how could I possibly not include her? Pomfrey and Reborn will definitely meet and probably be equally impressed :) Right now, magical travel is not an option for Harry as it bears too much of a risk of further disturbing his core. Thanks so much for the tip, any help with my English is very very welcome.

 **To Ondine de la Mer:** Thanks for the review! And can I just say, wow, thanks for taking the time to consider all this. I will answer the questions that won't give too much away :) [The WW in general does not know about Flames, however, Harry will also not be the first ever wizard to come in contact with Flames; Moving Harry back into the WW will definitely further disrupt his core and the entire situation with Harry's magic is also designed to keep him mostly in the MW for a bit; Carrier iguanas, that's awesome :D; While the potential might be there, magical folk can't activate Flames easily but it's not impossible] Hope this helps with some of your inquisitiveness :)

 **To khr junkie:** Thank you for your review! You're definitely right, there won't be an immediate soul-mate-like, throwing-all-caution-to-the-wind kind of thing happening, even with the bond helping them along. Glad you're in support of that :)

 **To Guest 15:** Thanks so much for reviewing again! Harry started the treatment less than three months after Voldy and he had been told that the actual treatment would take a few days. That's his point of reference.

 **To Diamond Yandere:** Thanks so much for reviewing again! Harry will definitely be making his opinion known on the matter of Hermione and Ron's latest iodicy :)

 **To azerty91:** Thanks for reviewing again! The Dursleys didn't say anything about wizards, even if only because that might reduce the chance of them taking Harry. Also, Vernon abhors anyone who is not normal by his definition and that would include the mafia, so he wouldn't warn them or care if anything happens.


	5. Chapter 5 (part 1)

A/N: Don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 5 (part 1)

Harry watched the man preparing a meal for them in the kitchen. Even though Harry still felt the exhaustion pulling at his limbs he felt better rested and more focused than he had felt in a while - definitely since the start of his treatment and maybe even since before that when the terror of his wavering magic had started keeping him awake at night. Harry was glad that he had regained some control over his limbs and was able to sit on his own now.

A tray with two bowls of steaming soup as well as two tall glasses with something pinkish was set on the low table in front of him. "Chicken soup and fruit smoothie. It should be alright for your stomach." The man said as he sat down next to him again on the couch and handed him a bowl of soup.

Harry's arm was still slightly weak but he was glad to see that he was able to hold the bowl. Well, the only reason he did not spill anything was that the man had apparently anticipated this and the bowl was barely half full. The spoon the man set into the bowl was rather ladle-like in its form, so unless the shaking got too bad, Harry should actually be able to manage. Harry felt something warm spread in his chest at this small, considerate gesture from the man.

He really needed to ask for a name soon. Calling him 'the man' in his mind - trying to keep his thoughts on his bonded neutral - was starting to sound kind of ominous at this point.

Harry reached for the spoon and was about to lift it to his mouth as the man caught Harry's hand in his own. Even from the corner of his eye he could see the smirk on the man's face.

"You have to be careful. The soup is still hot." The man leaned into Harry's space - _close_ \- and gently blew over the soup in his spoon, still holding Harry's hand in his much larger one.

He nearly gaped at the man - almost leaning towards the tempting warmth, so close, so warm - before he caught himself, though still staring.

"You should eat." The smirk on the man's face widened as Harry felt the blush on his cheeks.

"Thanks. I'll wait for the soup to cool down a bit." Harry was glad he didn't stutter or anything equally embarrassing - like asking the man to do it again - even if it had sounded kind of petulant.

If anything the man's smirk got even wider. By Merlin, the man still looked ridiculously handsome even while being infuriatingly disrupting for Harry's thought processes.

The bond between them gave a hum and Harry considered the man next to him - had he been sitting this close the entire time? - as well as their situation. The bond felt permanent, reliable, anchored, urging him to trust.

Harry considered his options as he started on his soup again. A magical bond trumped pretty much everything else in the Wizarding World. True bonds, such as traditional wedding bonds, soul bonds, adoption bonds and troth pledges, were one of the most explicit exceptions for the Statute of Secrecy.

He finished his soup as far as he was going to get with his still rather unsteady hand. The man took his bowl without prompting and handed him the fruit smoothie. Harry took small sips and for a while they sat in comfortable silence. Harry needed more information before he could even begin to make decisions. Hopefully, the man would be agreeable.

"The warmth, what is it?" Harry asked as directly as he could without asking about the bond. Even though he was quite sure that the man could feel it as well - what other reason could he possibly have had to rescue Harry - he couldn't be entirely sure that the man was aware of the bond humming between them.

"Hm. It's rather convoluted to explain. How about we save the elaborate explanation for later and start on your side of the story?" Though assertive there was surprisingly little vehemence in the man's statement.

Harry had expected him to be far more adamant about hearing his side of the story first. But still. Harry slumped unnoticeably. He just wanted to rest some more - bask in the assuring hum of the bond and preferably sleep for about a month - before he had to focus on any explanation, elaborate or not, that would most likely end in some kind of disagreement.

* * *

Reborn watched as his Sky tried to gather himself. The five-day rest had definitely helped his Sky recover, but he still looked fatigued and worn. Reborn would have his Sky rest for as long as it took him to recover to full strength - his protective and possessive side surged at the thought of keeping his Sky in his bed, relying on him. Still, there were questions that needed answers, not least of all about his Sky's health and definitely about how he had gotten into the situation Reborn had found him in. Reborn needed to know if there were any more definite threats beyond those of being the Sky of the World's Greatest Hitman - not that there would be any chance that any of those threats would ever even touch his Sky.

There was something more to his Sky's question though. Reborn was almost certain that his Sky was a civilian. A civilian with an interesting background for sure but not mafia. Despite this, his Sky had not at any point questioned the existence of some strange kind of power _inside_ himself - disregarding the fact that he was able to identify the presence of Flames at all - but rather asked for a name to call it by. That was more than interesting, potentially even worrying.

"It depends on your answers to my questions." His Sky finally said.

Reborn actually felt his eyebrows raise and not in a good way. Well, that was far more abrupt than he had expected. His thoughts must have somehow shown on his face, because his Sky wrinkled his forehead - looking quite endearingly confused - obviously thinking back on his words, before almost flinching backwards.

"No, no. That's not what I meant at all." A flush was making its way slowly across his Sky's face. "I didn't mean... It's just..."

His Sky was almost stumbling over his words and Reborn could see the frustration and a form of panic mounting. Reborn reached out - his Sky flinched backwards, flinched away from him, from his sole Guardian, Reborn was going to murder whoever had conditioned that reflex into his Sky - to rest a hand on his Sky's shoulder and pulled his Sky back into his side.

"Try again."

After a tense moment Reborn felt his Sky relax minutely. "I don't... I can't explain without more information. Truly can't. There would be consequences. Consequences neither of us is prepared to live with."

Ok, that certainly sounded ominous, but all the more interesting for the included threat. Reborn considered their situation.

Well, this was his Sky. A Sky with active Flames and an active Guardian bond with a member of the mafia. With the forming of his first Guardian bond his unaffiliated Sky could technically be considered a newly founded Famiglia. So even if his Sky truly was a civilian, Omerta didn't apply here. Additionally, his Sky seemed quite familiar with powers bordering on the supernatural, so the risk of him freaking out at the explanation should be minimal.

Reborn decided that he might as well start with the explanation. Not like his Sky would be going anywhere soon - or ever really - so he would get his story sooner or later. "The warmth, as you so adorably put it," - and there was that blush again - "is called Flames."

His Sky was endearingly easy to fluster with just a few words or gestures - Reborn could definitely see himself getting possessive of that blush. And even though he shied back from the more overt gestures - the fierce blush when Reborn had 'cooled down' his soup had been delicious - right now he was subconsciously leaning further into Reborn's side.

"Flames are a power anchored in our very soul." Reborn continued. "They are based on our resolve and created from our very life-force. There is only a very small number of people who can use Flames at all and their secrecy is protected by Omerta. As Flames are based on resolve and strength of will we call them Dying Will Flames."

His Sky was looking up at him intently. "We?" And damn he was astute.

"The mafia." This might just be the most crucial part of the explanation. Civilians almost instinctually shied away from organized crime. Their ingrained believes of right and wrong made it impossible for them to consider anything related to crime even remotely acceptable. "Do you have any relations to a Mafia Famiglia?"

Reborn already knew the answer to this question, even though there had been no overt reaction from his Sky at the mention of the mafia except for the slight widening of his eyes. His Sky might have already figured something along those lines with his own captivity. Something in Reborn's chest loosened slightly.

"No, I don't." His Sky's eyes remained slightly wider than normal - but he had not moved away from Reborn - and he was still watching Reborn intently.

His Sky was a civilian. Reborn felt a slow smug smile spread across his face. This Sky with ridiculously pure Flames was not only powerful enough to draw him in - him, the most powerful Sun Flame user in existence - to bond with him, but he was also unattached. Reborn had not only finally found what he and his Flames had been longing for, he had also somehow managed to avoid the drawbacks. There was no Famiglia to get in their way, to command missions and behavior. No enemies or allies - beyond Reborn's own - to contend with or to endanger his Sky. Even further, as his Flames had been forced into activation during his recent captivity - as signified by his complete ignorance of what Flames were in the first place - there were no other Guardians or Guardian hopefuls. His Sky was Reborn's alone. His smile widened as his possessive, selfish side seemed to almost contently stretch like a cat in the sun.

He continued his explanation as though he hadn't just realized something extraordinarily pleasing. "Dying Will Flames are almost exclusively found in the mafia and most people outside of it who manage to activate their Flames are pulled into the mafia at some point. In order for a Famiglia to reach a certain standing strong Flame users are vital. Thus unaffiliated Flame users are rare, even more so if they are strong, as they will have numerous Famiglias vying for their attention."

Reborn couldn't help but think of his own long history of Famiglias lining up to try and pull him in only to disappoint over and over and over again. His Sky was watching him intently and Reborn got the feeling that he might be very much able to recognize the desperation that Reborn had been doing his best to ignore for years.

He had a Sky now, he finally knew what home - freely given welcome, approval, warmth, unconditional acceptance - felt like.

"Depending on the Flame user there are several factors that affect overall Flame characteristics but the main factors are Flame type and purity." Reborn continued. "There are a number of different Flame types, though for brevity's sake I am just going to summarize the ones that directly apply to us, the Flames of the Sky which includes the Elements Sky, Sun, Rain, Cloud, Storm, Mist and Lightning. Each Flame type has its own ascribed characteristics of personality and abilities."

By now his Sky was leaning fully into his side, his head almost rested on Reborn's shoulder. And even though Reborn wasn't really one for touching - outside the bedroom that is - the show of easy trust and acceptance had something in his chest purring. If this was what he got for the small concession of explaining first, well, to hell with always getting what he wanted. This would definitely do as repayment. For now.

"Each Flame type brings additional abilities, the strength of which relies on the underlying purity. Purity varies depending on the Flame user's strength of will and resolve that feeds the Flames. My Sun Flames allow me to use Activation which is more or less a way to increase efficiency of any activity. Your Flame type is Sky and this gives you the power of Harmonization. The other Flame types are also called Elements of the Sky as users of these Flame types can harmonize with a Sky Flame user. A Sky can form bonds with other Flame types that are traditionally called Guardian bonds. The Guardians offer a form of protection, while the Sky offers a home, a place to return to. Most powerful Famiglias are built around a Sky with a full set of Guardians, meaning bonds with Flame users of every Element. Sky Flame users are rare and something like royalty in the Mafia World."

Reborn saw his Sky wrinkle his nose - dios mio, he was adorable - and mumble something that sounded suspiciously like 'that bloody figures'. His Sky seemed to sigh in resignation before the look of annoyance faded. "The bond between us?"

"Exactly, it is based on your ability of Harmony. There are various factors that affect a bonding. For one, the Flame purity and strength of both Elements has to be taken into account. A strong Sky cannot be forced into a bond with a weaker Element. It can be offered by the Sky, however, it is rarely ever done as the Sky's Flames are looking for Elements of mostly equal strength as they are tasked with protection. Essentially, Sky bonds are give and take, however, the Sky is always considered the pivotal center of any bond and awarded an additional amount of respect instinctually by other Elements. Sky Flame users generally seek for a full set of Guardians, meaning bonds with users of every Flame type."

"This bond cannot be dissolved." His Sky was looking pensive and if it hadn't been for the factual phrasing and tone Reborn might have been driven to do something drastic immediately.

He still felt the anxiety tightening in his chest and his answer came out maybe a bit harshly. "No, it can't. The only way to dissolve the bond is for one of the Elements to go into discord or by being rejected by the Sky. Due to the Flames being anchored in the soul, such a disruption is incredibly harmful to Sky and Element, even to any other Elements bonded to the same Sky, and can even be lethal."

However, his Sky was still watching him fully alert, his focus seemingly on another part of the explanation. "In our soul and life-force?"

Still no direct questions about Reborn's involvement in the mafia. To his exasperation it was actually starting to make him slightly apprehensive, as he couldn't quite anticipate his Sky's reactions.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome!

Chapter 4 review responses:

 **To Akira:** Thanks so much for your review! I don't want to give too much away for the next chapters so I'm not going to identify any of Harry's guardians. But I can say that there won't be many OCs in this story. I hope this chapter answers most of your other questions :)

 **To Kshail:** Thanks so much for reviewing again! Thank you also for the suggestions, but I won't tell for most of them :) Ron and Hermione won't be Guardians mostly because their world view is very black and white and I can't see them just accepting the mafia. Also, I intend to tie Flames into magic in a way that makes activation pretty hard so there won't suddenly be a huge number of wizard Flame users (though not saying there won't be any).

 **To Anon:** Thanks for reviewing! I really get where you are coming from regarding Ron and Hermione and as I said before, there won't be any character bashing in this story. The part that I think is ignored in a lot of stories is that it's not only Harry who is a war veteran at 17 but his friends as well so there are some concessions to be made. Still, there are definitely issues in their friendship and the situation in this story is an example of that.

 **To Soaring Hawk1:** Thank you for the review! I don't want to give too much away, so I'm not commenting on other possible Guardians yet :) Harry will definitely get in contact with the WW soon, even if only because of fear of Madam Pomfrey's wrath if he didn't ^^ I will do my best to keep the development with Ron and Hermione as realistic as possible.

 **To Silvermane1:** Thanks for your review! Harry's first contact with the WW will be the healers, simply because he needs their opinion on his current situation and on how to proceed.


	6. Chapter 5 (part 2)

A/N: I don't own anything.

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Chapter 5 (part 2)

So. Flames? Mafia Royalty? That was... new.

And Harry just wanted to throw his hands up into the air and stomp from the room like a petulant child.

Again, Harry was special. He had gained yet another power. Another rare ability that was only wielded by very few people in the world - probably even less people than magic, because no matter how vast, an organization, criminal or not, could not possibly compete with an entire race in numbers. And even with Flames Harry had somehow gained the extraordinary kind.

But of course he had.

Harry was glad to hear that he did not have some incredibly rare once-in-a-millenium kind of Flame type, as there seemed to be at least a few others with Sky Flames. Well, his priorities sure were messed up these days, weren't they.

Considering the Potter luck Harry was just going to assume that there was more to _Dying_ _Will_ Flames than keeping him warm on the inside and forming bonds. The value that the mafia apparently placed on Flames made that distinctly clear.

And, the _mafia_? Really? Come on.

He was finally done with being the hero, having done everything that could be and had been demanded of him, including letting himself be martyred - for a cause he did not even entirely believe in. Just like in all those stories of the nice heroes with the shining armor and no brain whatsoever.

Harry had just began to hope that he would be able to start fading into obscurity. And now after all the hero business, he had somehow managed to get himself thrown into the world of organized crime.

By Merlin, he needed to file a complaint or get himself a restraining order against Fate or Destiny or whoever it was that kept messing with his life. He had already been haphazardly thrown into an entirely new world at eleven to either sink or swim. He was part of a world that had bloody _unicorns_! What was going to come next? Aliens? Well, at least at this point, there wasn't much that they could throw at him which could truly surprise him anymore. Though, best not think that too loudly lest someone up there decided to prove him wrong.

Ok. So that inner tantrum was done with for now.

There had been a lot of information in the man's explanation that Harry would have to mull over at a later time. It would take him a while to sort through all of it.

The mafia hadn't really been that much of a surprise. Harry had already guessed organized crime when he had been captured and the mafia was just one step further. He was going to ignore the implications of his bonded - his _Guardian_ \- being mafia for now and what that would mean for Harry's future involvement.

For now, he had to consider his own side of the explanation. The most pressing question was, what he was going to tell the man and how to tell him.

Well, a bond tied into his very soul would certainly qualify as a magical bond no matter what power it had actually been initiated by. A permanent life-force bond might actually be just as indisputable. So that took care of the Statute of Secrecy.

Harry was pretty certain that the supposed option of dissolving the Flame bond was not actually open to them. He could feel the bond in his mind and _magic_. Even though the bond might have been initiated by their Flames, his magic had definitely gotten involved. And true magical bonds were permanent.

And Merlin, he wanted this. For once in his life Harry wanted to be selfish, to have someone for himself.

It was all he had ever wanted. Ever since he was a child and realized that the Dursleys did not want _him_ and later on that _he_ did not want the Dursleys. Same with the Wizarding World.

He wanted someone to want Harry. And the thought of someone truly his, his to keep, to want, to trust had him almost aching with hope.

A bond, a person that Harry could truly rely on. That was worth _everything_.

Harry immediately dismissed the option of trying to get around telling the man about magic. The man had told Harry about an entirely different world that was apparently protected by something similar to the Statute of Secrecy. So, Harry was damn well not going to lie to him. Fair is fair, and all that.

And if the bond truly was permanent and Harry had finally found someone who was going to be there, who wanted him, accepted him, protected _him_. Harry was not going to risk losing the trust that a bond like that could potentially provide just to hide a world that would be revealed to this man at some point anyways, if only because they were permanently stuck with each other.

Also, as the man was aware of a world that seemed to be based on something very much not normal, Harry was cautiously hopeful that he would not react negatively to magic.

Though best warn him about possible Auror arrivals, lest the man shoot someone. And Harry had no doubt who would win that fight - he had seen the man move during his rescue, there wasn't even a question who would win, magic or not. Italian Aurors couldn't possibly be that much better than their British counterparts.

"I am part of another world that is segregated from the normal world. Its secrecy is harshly guarded and they can usually tell if it is revealed to anyone who is not a part of our world. Still, there are universal exceptions to these laws and in our world bonds are indisputable. However, I don't know the procedures here in Italy, so if someone does show up here, you need to let me explain to them and if they don't listen you need to get out and away. You cannot risk them catching you before I get them to listen to me."

Harry watched as the man became more and more attentive, while his muscles contrarily loosened - Harry was well aware that a loose posture was far more suited for immediate reaction than tightly coiled muscles. But instead of drawing away from Harry as he had almost feared, the arm around his waist tightened and pulled Harry protectively closer. The man's eyes were shadowed but almost glowing as he continuously assessed the empty room around them.

And Harry suddenly _knew_ that the last thing this man would do was run or leave Harry to deal with the problem on his own. What had he said? Guardians protected their Sky.

For a moment Harry tried to inconspicuously press even further into the man's side, trying to absorb as much of his presence as he could before he had to take the leap.

Harry's chest still tightened with anxiety. "My world is based on magic." And despite the dread roiling in his stomach while waiting for the inevitable reaction, Harry could not look away from the man's face. Anxiously awaiting the reaction that would decide whether Harry would ever have a chance to trust this bond, to rely on it. He barely remembered to keep any possible Auror arrivals in mind as he focused entirely on the man.

There was a slight widening of the man's eyes at the announcement but he remained right where he was with Harry protectively tucked into his side and though his focus seemed to be on Harry, his eyes were still assessing the room, prepared for an attack.

Cautious hope expanded in Harry's chest.

He continued. "The Wizarding World is mostly segregated from the non-magical world, inaccessible and mostly invisible to people without magic."

There was still no disbelief or apprehension in the man's eyes and Harry only just kept himself from slumping in relief.

"Wizards and witches are born with their magic. Even though magic comes to us naturally it takes a while to mature and we have schools that take care of magical education. There are magical creatures, like... dragons and unicorns and we have an international sports league."

Harry knew he was rambling, but he only now realized how terrified he had been that this man would just simply reject him and the bond - the bond that felt so very safe and protective and accepting - would dissolve. Or even worse, that the bond would remain and be twisted and Harry would constantly be reminded that he had lost this chance at acceptance.

He felt the arm around his waist giving a slight squeeze and when Harry looked up there was an amused glint in the man's eyes. Harry felt the heat in his cheeks. But there was no mocking, only amusement.

"What exactly does _magic_ mean?" The man asked.

Harry felt perplexed at that question and it must have shown on his face as the man elaborated.

"What can magic _do_? Can you read minds?" Something dangerous flitted through the man's eyes only to immediately disappear again. " Can you fly?" And the amusement was back in the man's voice at the last question. There was still no disbelief. Definitely an interesting life. And, if the man thought that to be ridiculous he was in for a shock.

Harry tried to remain neutral, but some amusement still bled through. "Well, yes, we can. I myself cannot read minds, but it is possible and I am actually a pretty fantastic flyer." Harry was so not mentioning broomsticks right now, even if just to spare himself the blushing at the man's inevitable comments. "In general you can pretty much assume: If you can think it, magic can do it. Wizards might not yet have invented a general way to do some things, but magic itself has very few restrictions."

Huh, there was nothing even remotely close to shock in the man's expression. Harry really hoped that the lack of surprise wasn't because Flames were just as crazy as magic. Harry didn't think he would be able to take it.

"What exactly _is_ magic?"

Well, that was a good yet quite complex question. Harry considered his answer before replying. "Magic itself is not really easily defined. It is not just something to be quantified or categorized but more something that just is. It encompasses an entire world and has far too many facets of powers and creatures and cultures for it to be sorted into neat little boxes. No single being can actually access all kinds of magic. There are beings that cannot directly weave magic at all, like centaurs. Just as there are beings that are pure magic in themselves, like phoenixes or unicorns. Pretty much everything that is mentioned in myths and legends of various cultures does exist in some form, like merpeople or vampires or fairies."

Harry continued, still watching for the appearance of distaste in the man's expression. "Normal wizards and witches are actually pretty boring in comparison, even though most have an extreme superiority complex that would have them tell you otherwise. We can weave magic and we have extended life spans, but that's pretty much it."

"Wizarding magic has several branches based on the nature of the wielded magic. The most common branches are light, dark and gray. There are numerous smaller branches of magic such as elemental, black or nature magic and there are also some branches of magic that wizards cannot access directly at all like time magic or chaos magic. It gets complicated pretty quickly because we use tools to help us weave magic such as wands or artifacts that are centuries old as well as rituals. And then, even with extended life spans, wizards do not live long at all in comparison to other beings. There are creatures more than a thousand years old and our history is still recorded almost in its entirety. Thus the knowledge still available is immense."

There was definitely a keen interest in the man's eyes at that part of the explanation. Harry knew he had left out most of the negative sides of the magical world, hadn't even come close to explaining the complexities of magic itself. But for one it was far too complex an explanation right now and also he was pretty certain that they would be discussing both their worlds in more detail in the coming days. Now that he was done with revealing the Magical World, he felt the exhaustion returning as the adrenaline of wondering how this discussion would end was dissipating.

Still, Harry wanted to show his Guardian, show him the wonders of magic and that Harry was telling the truth. Harry couldn't perform any magic right now for various reasons, like his unstable magic or the increased chance of the Ministry being able to detect a possible breach of the Statute of Secrecy. Harry looked up. "My pouch?"

The man looked at him for a moment before reaching over to the armchair next to the couch. Well, Harry would certainly have to think about why in the world this man was able to touch or even see the heavily warded pouch at all.

He felt the man's eyes intently fixed on him, watching as most of Harry's forearm disappeared into the tiny pouch. Harry almost wanted to smile, thinking that the man had probably been wondering about this ever since he had watched Harry do the very same thing when they had picked up his possessions a few days ago. Harry reached for the invisibility cloak, and as always the desired object immediately appeared in his hand.

Harry slowly pulled out the invisibility cloak, which by itself shouldn't even have fit inside the pouch. Harry figured this was the easiest way to prove the existence of magic. His picture album might have been another option, but for one Harry was not quite ready to share that much of himself with the man and also Harry was well aware how fast technology developed. The moving pictures could be explained away. The Wizarding Space in the pouch and a cloak that made everything beneath it disappear entirely from view and even extinguished sound and smell should be far more convincing.

Harry easily wrapped the cloak around most of himself, watching his right side and most of his legs vanish, before offering the cloak to the man. This was probably the most critical part of the explanation. Because being told about magic and seeing or experiencing it were entirely different things.

However, to his unending relief there was only curiosity in the man's eyes as he examined the heirloom.

* * *

So.

Reborn had to admit that even with the evidence presented before his Sky's explanation, he would not have even thought of magic. If only because it sounded so completely ludicrous.

Now though, watching his Sky almost casually breaking a few laws of physics and reality - and Reborn had thought he had seen most of everything strange there was... On the other hand as extraordinary as the cloth and the pouch were, Reborn had still seen definitely stranger. The Mafia World was not normal in any sense of the word.

Reborn had fully expected a slew of questions from his Sky on Flames, the mafia, his involvement in either, how it would effect his Sky, maybe even demands to leave the mafia. Instead his Sky had done exactly as he had indicated before Reborn's explanation. Listened to Reborn, considered his options and then revealed his own secret world. Reborn would have to keep this seemingly natural sincerety in mind, lest he unintentionally hurt his Sky with Reborn's usual mind games.

More importantly, he could see the remaining anxiety and apprehension on his Sky's face and that just wouldn't do. He considered their exchange and decided to just go with it.

So, he offered his hand, introducing himself honestly. "Reborn. The World's Greatest Hitman. Strongest Sun Flame user in existence, tutor from hell and unaffiliated member of the mafia."

The relief on his Sky's face at the introduction was immediate.

Harry reached for _Reborn's_ hand while he briefly considered the introduction. Well, there was really only one way to answer that declaration. "Harry. The-Man-Who-Conquered. Savior of the Wizarding World, run-off-the-mill storybook hero and all-around good guy. Just ask anyone."

They considered each other. And even though both introductions sounded unbelievable, ridiculous even, they only felt amused acceptance.

Reborn felt the corners of his mouth lift up in a small genuine smile. "Well, I think it's safe to say that between the two of us, my days of boredom might just be over."

The tired grin spreading over Harry's face made his eyes crinkle slightly. "Believe me when I say, that with me in your life you will be ruing the day you ever thought that might be a good thing."

* * *

Thanks so much for all the reviews! You guys are amazing!

Chapter 5 pt1 review responses:

 **To Lerya-chan:** Thanks for reviewing again! Harry will definitely meet Tsuna at some point, though I'm not telling how and when in KHR :)

 **To Lucy Dei:** Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you like the story so much :) Not to give too much away, but the situation with Ron and Hermione will just not be quite as simple as 'betrayal, over and done'. They fucked up badly and there will be consequences, but... well, you'll see :)

 **To Diamond Yandere:** Thank you so much for reviewing again! I'm glad you like their interactions so far. Regarding the situation with Ron and Hermione, there will definitely be a clash and their friendship will be damaged, but I think Harry himself is just too damn loyal to break off any friendship entirely for anything less than a clear and intentional betrayal. I will try to keep it as realistic as possible. Still, definitely not Guardian material.

 **To SilverStarWaters:** Thanks for the review! Oh that sounds like a fun scene to put in :) And you are right about the Guardian bond anchoring Harry even simply because his magic recognizes the additional protection.

 **To Shimmer712:** Thank you for your extensive review! There will definitely be consequences for Ron and Hermione's actions but it will mainly be a matter of broken trust and confidence (which I find actually far more ultimately damaging in the long run) forcing Harry to re-evaluate their friendship. There won't be many people that can use magic and Flames in either world. Harry will get in contact with the WW, even if his focus right now is still on his situation with Reborn.

 **To Miss Silverspoon:** Thanks for the review! Madam Pomfrey will definitely be making an appearance... :) The situation with the Order is probably going to be more explosive than with Hermione and Ron. Because the adults in HP mostly fail inexcusably and I need for Harry to have a reason to get even somehow. Reborn will certainly love tearing them apart :)


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Don't own.

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Chapter 6

Reborn was lying awake, watching his Sky sleep.

Harry had fallen asleep soon after their belated introductions. Even when Reborn had carried him back to bed and settled him under the covers, his Sky had kept one hand curled into Reborn's shirt. Reborn had thought that to be a wonderful excuse to get into the bed as well.

And now, Reborn was basking in the feeling of Harmony with his Sky curled up on his chest.

It gave him some time to consider the recent revelations. There was so much that had been said and even more that hadn't been directly put into words. Reborn had noted, that there had been little to no personal information in Harry's explanation much like Reborn's own.

The fear he had seen in his Sky's eyes at the beginning of his explanation about magic, expecting Reborn to react negatively possibly violently, had his Sun Flames dangerously honed towards whatever had made his Sky so very cautious to trust, ready to tear it apart. His Sky was a civilian. Civilians were mostly not even really aware of the dangers around them and generally trusted far more than someone like him could find reasonable.

It was obvious that his Sky had been burnt by someone he trusted at some point. Harry had scars - he had carried his half naked Sky out of the Corocos base, no one could blame Reborn for looking - and was far too thin as Reborn had been able to see every single of Harry's ribs. The scars were not even close to the worst Reborn had seen - and that was a good thing, otherwise the world would already be burning down around them - but they spoke of a harsh life, of things that shouldn't even come near his Sky. In combination with Harry's apparent ability to adapt and his strong situational awareness... Reborn wasn't at all happy with the conclusions he was drawing on his Sky's previous life. It not only spoke of a life full of pain and danger, but also of a lack of someone to take care of his Sky's needs, be they as basic as food.

During his explanation, Harry had mentioned a magical government, had called himself a hero, a _savior_ \- without any boasting or pride, but rather resigned acceptance of the title - and talked about superiority complexes of wizards, while also emphasizing the existence of truly ancient beings in their world. Just Harry's contempt while asserting that magic was not to be categorized spoke for itself. What kind of picture did that paint not so much of magic but rather of the society around it?

So, some kind of conflict. Possibly political in nature but his Sky's behavior spoke of something that went well beyond verbal disputes.

A savior was only ever needed if there was a threat and the title of hero could rarely ever be gained without sacrifice.

And what had Harry said, 'The-Man-Who-Conquered'? You could practically hear the hyphens in that name, a title. Which meant that there had been people quite willing to hand out medals afterwards but no one willing to do the conquering itself.

And 'Man'? What a joke. His Sky looked still in his teens, though he acted older. Ok, so maybe that was part of the long life-spans that Harry had mentioned. Reborn would have to ask for a specific age, but he felt slightly better at the tentative thought that his Sky might at least have reached his twenties before going about being a 'savior-conqueror-hero' in any meaning of the words.

So, Harry was young but weary, revered but alone, distrustful but so very very desperately hopeful.

And Reborn felt like ripping the world apart for hurting his Sky, while fully aware that there was probably going to be more to come for Reborn to be angry about. That much had been obvious in Harry's eyes as he explained the world he came from.

At this point Reborn would not even try to get his head around the existence of dragons of all things. Seeing is believing and all that. He had more important things to consider.

Like how his Sky had ended up in the hands of the mafia - and Reborn wanted to grit his teeth just considering what could have been done to his Sky while he was captured. When Reborn had found him his Sky had been barely aware - though Reborn preened thinking of how his Sky had immediately, entirely and constantly been focused on Reborn from the very moment he had entered that room, even before their bond formed. Still, his Sky had been incoherent and incapable of defending himself.

And why had his Sky not used his magic to free himself or used it after he had woken up in Reborn's apartment? Reborn could only come up with reasons that made him even angrier. Reasons like his Sky was either forbidden or physically unable. And if that was the case, Reborn would find and tear apart whoever had failed in protecting his Sky while he couldn't protect himself.

Even further, why had his Sky been in need of a cure - probably at a magical hospital - in the first place? Some kind of magical illness might be an explanation of how the supposed medicine could make his Sky barely lucid for such an extended period of time. Reborn could not even begin to guess what kind of illnesses there could possibly be in a _magical_ world.

And then, how in the world had the mafia been able to get to his Sky in a magical hospital? Because if anyone in the Mafia World was aware of magic, Reborn was sure that word would have reached him by now. So, his Sky had probably not been in the magical world while incapacitated. Which increased his need to go on a murderous rampage because this was starting to look like deliberate endangering of his Sky. And if that was the case there wouldn't be anything left of the Wizarding World by the time Reborn was done with it.

Harry's hand on his chest twitched slightly and Reborn forced himself to calm down. It wouldn't surprise him if his Sky could feel the anger in Reborn's Flames. With how strong their bond was turning out to be - and Reborn's Flames curled in contentment at that thought - it was actually rather likely, especially with Reborn being his sole Guardian at the moment.

Reborn did not like the thought of his Sky finding more Guardians, taking part of Harry's focus off his Sun. He loathed the thought actually. There wasn't anyone who could possibly be good enough for his Sky anyways. Well, other than Reborn himself of course.

Not that Reborn would force the issue. It was mostly instinctual for Sky Flames to seek out Elements. Also, more Guardians would mean more protection for his Sky and Reborn was getting the feeling that he might actually need the help.

* * *

Harry woke up feeling mostly like himself for once. He felt much better than before - well rested and _so_ _warm -_ and relaxed in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time, if ever. Still half asleep he burrowed deeper into the covers and went back to dozing lazily. The world could wait a while longer.

It was quite a bit later, while his awareness was slowly returning when he started to realize that the warmth he had his face pressed into was moving slightly and though his brain refused to compute that information properly, he was suddenly very aware where exactly he was and what he was lying on.

There was a light chuckle. "Finally awake?" And Merlin, with the slight gravel of sleep the man's voice was pure sin.

Harry was blushing before the thought had completely registered. He tried to regain some composure, before opening his eyes and tilting his head up.

Reborn was reclining slightly against the headboard with a book in his hand looking intently at him, while Harry had his head settled on the man's stomach, one arm thrown over Reborn's waist. The arm holding Harry pressed against Reborn's side tightened and Harry could actually feel the heat of his own blush.

"Mornin'." Harry mumbled slightly.

"Good morning, lovely. Well rested?" The man asked warmly.

Harry stretched slightly and thought to hell with it. He had already been sleeping on the man and then just a while ago deliberately snuggled back into his stomach, he could very well avoid making a further spectacle of himself by trying to get away - not that Reborn seemed to be letting go anytime soon - and instead resettled into the warmth of his Guardian and their contently humming bond.

"Definitely better than before. How long have I been asleep this time?" Harry tried to ask casually, while doing his best to fight down his blush.

Reborn started drawing lazy patterns on Harry's back. "Just another twelve hours this time. You sound much better. And you actually have some color back in your cheeks." At the last statement Reborn's grin turned teasing and Harry felt his blush increase again.

Harry decided to spare his dignity and didn't even try to reply. He was feeling lazy and would have loved to go back to sleep but his stomach was complaining. Noticeably.

Another deep chuckle and Harry was glad he was able to suppress his shiver at the sound.

"How about a shower and then some lunch?" Reborn asked him easily, setting his book on the nightstand. "Do you want coffee?"

"Oh, do you have tea?" Harry perked up while moving to the side.

"Tea." At the accusing expression on Reborn's face, Harry just couldn't help breaking down into a fit of giggles - manly giggles, more of a throaty chuckle, really, no giggles at all.

"I'm British. We like our tea." Harry made sure to make that statement sound as condescending as he possibly could - mix Ron's but-all-wizards-know-this-astonishment with Hermione's I'm-telling-you-facts-so-you-better-listen-voice, throw in some Malfoy haughtiness and some Snape dunderhead-exasperation and finish it off with Dumbledore's my-dear-boy-twinkly-eyed-disappointment. There you go, one complete wanker at your service.

Reborn just scoffed though Harry could see the amusement in his eyes. "Coffee is the drink of the Gods. Who still drinks tea these days? You British are just stuck in the past."

Harry grinned as he watched the man get up from the bed. "The British Wizarding World stuck in the past? You have no idea. No idea at all."

* * *

They had taken turns in the bathroom - where Harry had his little freakout that he had been sleeping on top of someone, an incredibly hot someone, his incredibly hot soul-bonded someone - and by the time Harry came out Reborn had already prepared a light lunch.

Reborn smirked while holding out Harry's chair for him and Harry couldn't help blushing while sitting down at the small table.

He immediately honed in on the juice on the table. "Ooh, Pumpkin juice." Though even while saying it he realized how unlikely that was.

It still got him an incredulous look. "Pumpkin juice? Really? Isn't that a bit too cliché?"

"Ah, well, no." Harry paused slightly before just going with it. Communication is key and all that and this was a topic he had no problem talking about. "The Wizarding World is very... obvious? Hm, it's hard to explain. For one, most of the clichés that you have probably already discarded while considering the Wizarding World, will likely be true. That is not necessarily true for the Magical World in general, just whenever wizards are involved."

Reborn was watching him while sipping his coffee. He seemed curious but not pressing.

"We wear pointy heads and can fly on broomsticks, we make potions in cauldrons and use a wand to do magic." Harry hoped that by slipping it in the list Reborn would miss the broomstick comment. Though going by his smirk he had failed spectacularly.

Harry quickly continued. "Also, in the Wizarding World pretty much everything has to be taken very literally. In a way that is almost ridiculous. For example, we have a candy that is called Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and that is exactly what it means. Flavors include strawberry and vanilla, but also vinegar and dirt." Harry had to think a moment. "There are two main streets in the London Magical District, one is called Diagon Alley and the other Knockturn Alley. Guess which one is the one with the shady businesses."

Harry could see that Reborn was laughing internally, while his eyes had actually widened a bit with incredulousness. Harry hid his grin by taking a sip of his orange juice. They were getting along. Thank Merlin.

Reborn watched Harry unashamedly, seeing no reason to hide his watching. _Harry will have years to get used to it_ , Reborn thought cheerfully. The obvious enjoyment at their conversation on his Sky's face had pure and utter warmth pulsing through his Flames.

Still, there was a question Reborn had to ask. No matter how much he would like to just bask in their mutual enjoyment without interruptions. Reborn had to know about his Sky's health. Had to know if there was still a problem.

"I have a question, beautiful." And dios mio, did Reborn adore that blush. If it got him to blush like that, Reborn wouldn't ever even consider calling his Sky anything else. Well, maybe in the company of others, as he was definitely getting possessive of his Sky's adorable reactions. Still, Harry's eyes were fully focused on him - Reborn would just ignore the obvious apprehension, his Sky would learn that there was never anything to fear from Reborn. "When I found you, you were barely lucid and you said something about medicine, a cure."

Reborn did not actually make it a question, not wanting to make his Sky feel cornered. However, there was clear relief on Harry's face. What in the world had his Sky thought he was going to comment on?

His Sky took a moment to answer. "I have a... condition."

Harry knew immediately that had been the wrong way to put it, as Reborn's eyes widened and Harry could see something close to terror flit through his eyes. He hurried to explain almost stumbling over his words.

"It was my magic. Something happened to my magic and it got... unbalanced. So the healers had to reset it, which put me in that disoriented state. The condition was healed and you, our bond, actually helped settle my magic. I feel much better than I should under these circumstances. I am fine."

Reborn felt his thundering heart slow down as his Sky talked. He was the World's Greatest Hitman and could easily get rid of anyone or anything that promised harm to his Sky. However, he would be entirely powerless if the problem was an illness. He could not loose his Sky - his _home_ \- after just having found him.

Reborn forced himself to calm down before asking for confirmation. "The condition is cured?"

"Yes. The treatment was definitely completed, so any danger there might have been, has already passed. The extended disorientation was due to my magic settling after the treatment. I told you yesterday that our magic matures with age?"

A lazy nod.

Harry almost wanted to smile at the gesture. "Well, for each wizard when their magic matures it falls into a sort of individual pattern. The basis of this pattern is etched into our very core and it is fundamental to wielding magic. Even further, we _are_ magic and our bodies and minds function based on the presence of it. For wizards their core is fundamental to their very being. However, the condition with my magic was of the sort, that this structure of my core had to be reset. Meaning the healers mostly removed the underlying structure of my magical core. What you saw was the disorientation after the reset which was expected, though exacerbated by other factors. It just needs time to heal at this point."

Ok. So that answered a number of Reborn's questions, including why his Sky had been at a hospital, the disorientation and why he had not rescued himself with magic. It also opened up a whole slew of other questions. He wasn't even going to ask how common this condition was, because he was definitely starting to get the feeling that his Sky was a magnet for the unusual. Reborn could see himself going grey early.

"Exacerbating other factors?" He asked pointedly.

"Well, the healers had specified that I was to stay in one place for the initial phase of my treatment. And definitely to not change between surroundings of high and low magical saturation." His Sky was clearly hesitating at that part of the answer and Reborn could already see himself taking someone apart in punishment for whatever his Sky was trying to avoid saying right now. "The treatment was started at one of Britain's largest magical hospitals, a magically rich environment. I was supposed to stay there for at least the first week immediately afterwards and then after my magic had somewhat recovered move to another magically saturated area. However, I ended up in the non-magical world instead. The healers had explained to me before that something like that would be greatly disorienting as my magic couldn't rely on the balance of my surroundings to help anchor itself."

As there was no reaction from Reborn, Harry kept talking. "The largest problem was the change from a magical environment to non-magical surroundings. But this was even further aggravated by me being moved large distances across countries, as even in the non-magical world there wasn't a new constant environment my magic could to adjust to."

Harry hesitantly finished the explanation. Reborn seemed to be actually grinding his teeth as he sorted through that information.

"If it was so clearly against doctor's orders, how did you 'end up' in a non-magical environment, exactly?" Reborn asked sharply.

This gave Harry pause. He had known that this question would come up at some point. A part of him was elated at the thought that Reborn was truly worried for him, would mind very much that someone had screwed up his recovery this badly, would unquestionably be on _Harry's_ side.

And Harry was still _so angry_ at Ron and Hermione and at the Order for again assuming they had the right to make decisions for their Savior. During the war any decisions 'for his own good' had been made on the basis of 'the lesser evil', rarely if ever considering any input Harry himself might have had. In his darker hours he had almost felt as though he was less of a person and more of a commodity, a weapon in their eyes.

Now Harry had finally left the war behind him, was finally his own man, no obligations, no decisions imposed on him, no guilt to fight a war that should have been ended decades ago by the very adults that had taken to hiding behind Harry Potter, the Chosen One.

And he had thought that Ron and Hermione of all people had understood what it meant to Harry to finally be free. He knew they would not deliberately cause him harm but their selective disregard of anything that concerned _Harry_ and not Harry Potter - things like his less than ideal home life - had created problems between them before.

That didn't make answering this question any easier though.

Reborn's eyes were still focused intently on his face and Harry refused to lie to Reborn. How to put this though without the context of the war, the Golden Trio, the Order?

"The answer to that, is... complicated. There are a lot of circumstances that I will have to explain to you at a later point. I was not lucid for most of the situation that got me into the hands of the mafia, so the explanation is even more convoluted as I will have to guess at some parts. Would it be enough right now if I told you that there was no ill intent from most of the people involved?"

"Most?" Most?! Reborn felt utter fury burn through him.

"Ah." Now his Sky was looking up at him with large green eyes. "Well, no, the healers probably thought I was safe at the hospital. And my friends do have the authority to make decisions for me if I am ever incapacitated. Despite all they have seen, they are still very naive in their believes about family and trust. It wouldn't even occur to them that family might sell someone to the mafia."

Harry stopped himself abruptly. By now Reborn was halfway out of his chair. How could Harry screw up a simple explanation this badly. He wanted to bang his head on the table in frustration. Repeatedly.

Actually. Harry attempted to do just that. He didn't even manage to hit the table once, as his forehead was caught in a large warm hand. Harry cautiously looked up at Reborn. There was pure fury in his eyes.

And Harry did not feel threatened at all. Well, wasn't that just something.

Harry reached up to touch Reborn's arm, trying to find the right words. "It's complicated. I don't know exactly what happened because I was not aware for most of it. There were some definite screw ups, but I don't have the whole story. And now I am fine."

His Sky seemed utterly calm, even in the face of his fury, Reborn noted absently. But more importantly, Harry was safe. Safe here with him. Where no one - _no one_ \- would harm him again.

Still. Reborn tugged his Sky out of his chair, moving them to the living area. He settled them on the couch, dragging his Sky close to his side, so close he was almost in his lap.

Harry considered this change, internally shrugged his shoulders and pressed himself into the warmth of Reborn's side. The bond hummed.

It was strange. Harry usually didn't like physical contact, shied away from it actually. But here, it was different. The closer he was to Reborn, the safer he felt. And the warmth. Not only the actual physical warmth Reborn seemed to radiate, but also the pulsing warmth of their bond.

He continued. "I was not actually physically harmed. The only time I felt pain was when my Flames were freed. If they had tried to harm me physically, my magic would have interfered, disrupted or not. My magic is almost autonomous in its defense of me."

There was so much his Sky was not saying. So much he was hiding behind partial truths. But even though Reborn knew that his Sky was not telling everything, he also didn't sense any lies.

It was also becoming apparent, that his Sky was pretty good at subtly changing the topic - not even close to good enough to actually distract Reborn - but not bad at all. Talking about something different that he expected Reborn to focus on. Instead of the mention of being _sold_ to the mafia. Reborn had definitely noticed his Sky's nervous mention of friends and family as well as the actual reason for the problems with his magic. Well, Reborn had no problem with getting all available information on another topic before returning to that part of their discussion. He would grant his Sky the reprieve if only so Reborn could settle his fury.

Another round of questions about their respective worlds then. Not like the topic of a magical world was going to get boring any time soon.

"That sounds as though automatic magic is not the norm." He asked, generously delaying the truly uncomfortable questions. For a bit.

Harry was glad that they were moving away from the personal, far more complicated questions and moving into magical theory again. He latched onto the topic. "Magic itself is closely connected with nature and has its own... sense of things. If something, a place or an artifact, constantly experiences high levels of magic for a very long time, it gains a certain level of sentience in itself."

Reborn took a moment to digest the information. Sentient magic? Well, that was definitely different from Flames then.

Still, his Sky was trying to avoid the actual question. Reborn kept silent with his attention focused on his Sky. He had noticed early on that Harry would keep talking if he wasn't interrupted. It infuriated him because it was typical behavior for children suffering from neglect. Their subconscious interpreted the missing reaction as a demand for more and they obeyed without usually even realizing it themselves. Reborn would definitely have to counteract that pattern, though it should easily be done with general acceptance which Reborn would gladly provide. While also ripping apart whoever had not only drilled this behavior into his Sky but also those who - by not counteracting this instinct and reassuring his Sky themselves - had seen fit to let the pattern remain.

As expected his Sky continued after a few moments."A wizard's core constantly holds a certain amount of magic and is a power onto itself, but it is not actually some kind of separate entity as it remains connected to the surrounding magic. Depending on the wizard the structure and the core size can vary incredibly, especially if additional abilities or powers come into play. Most of the magical core's patterns are established while a wizard is still young and is directly affected by his surroundings. My magic is unusually instinctive and very automatic in its defense of me, conscious or not. It is also the reason why the procedure of my treatment was especially disorienting to me and my magic."

Again, so much information that wasn't directly given but implied in his Sky's statements. The defensiveness of a wizard's magic was determined in his youth depending on his upbringing? And his Sky's magic was especially defensive? With this Reborn's first targets were already determined. Now he just had to find out the names of the people his Sky grew up with - he refused to call them family. Reborn would tear them apart, slowly and painfully, making sure that nothing of them remained.

Harry watched Reborn as he worked through that information. After a few moments of silence he took the chance to ask a question that had been on his mind since Reborn's explanation.

"I also have a question." Harry watched as Reborn focused completely on him again. "You said that a Sky can bond with Flame users of every type. Does a Sky have to have a full set of Guardians?"

Well, wasn't that just exquisitely perfect. His Sky was reluctant at the thought of other Guardians. Reborn felt his smugness raise another notch, or ten. Not only because his Sky himself didn't seem to want anyone else, but also if his Flames were not instinctually urging him to form more bonds it meant that his Sky felt perfectly safe and protected with just Reborn.

Reborn didn't even try to keep the smugly satisfied grin off his face. He got more comfortable on the couch kicking up his feet on the low table, coincidentally pulling his Sky completely into his side. Harry seemed to consider their position for a moment before curling his legs up onto the couch and delightfully resting his head against Reborn's shoulder with a slight blush on his cheeks.

The bond was humming comfortably between them and Reborn answered easily. "Sky Flame users generally look for a full set of Guardians instinctually as fully bonded Guardians offer additional protection to their Sky. In the mafia the prestige that comes with a full set of Guardians factors in as well and individual Guardians can bring even more renown to a Famiglia depending on their own identity. For one, an Element cannot harmonize with a Sky weaker than itself and thus a Sky aims for the strongest possible Flame users in order to emphasize their own strength. Additionally, Harmonization is pretty much absolute, so once a Sky has managed a bond with an Element they also gain their loyalty. As such any of the Element's own alliances and reputation will automatically be considered part of the Sky's Famiglia. A lot of Sky users barely consider whether an Element is suited to their character, as long as there is a sufficient amount of prestige involved."

At this point, Harry was completely resting against him and Reborn felt his Flames almost purr in contentment as his Sky's slim form fit perfectly into his side.

Reborn continued lazily. "Also, Sky users are normally part of a Famiglia. Even if they would prefer to wait to complete their set of Guardians, they are generally pushed into a full set by the Famiglia for stability and reputation. But even for those who do not aim for a full set of Guardians initially, they still tend to have at least a few bonded Elements."

Reborn watched his Sky mulling that over for a few moments, could almost see him thinking back to their introduction yesterday.

"You are the strongest Sun in the Mafia World right now." Harry more stated than asked.

"Strongest in existence." Reborn answered cheerfully while still watching for is Sky's reaction.

Harry hesitated a moment. "Others have tried to bond with you." Another statement. His Sky sure wasn't naive.

"Yes, they have. Since I gained a reputation pretty much every Sky I have come into contact with has tried to pull me in. They failed. Spectacularly and without exception." Reborn was well aware of his Sky watching him as he answered.

Harry wasn't completely certain how to react to that declaration - and for now Harry was going to entirely ignore what this meant for the strength of his own Flames. Harry's focus was entirely on his Sun right now. The emphasis so far had been solely on a Sky looking for an Element, a Sky wanting additional protection, a Sky's Famiglia pushing for bonds. It sounded far too one-sided when talking about a bond based on their souls and life-force. And the mention of Sky users trying to just bond any Element they deemed suitable for whatever reason, sounded alarmingly like a forced bonding. Harry tried to keep his dread at bay that this bond might not be as welcome as he had assumed.

However, Harry had also seen the desperation beneath Reborn's brief mention of the many Sky users that had tried but failed to bond with him. It sounded like a strange mixture between longing for a bond and pride that no one had been strong enough to establish one.

Still, he had to make sure. Because Reborn did not yet know about Harry's magic somehow having gotten involved with their bond and thereby precluding the option of dissolving the bond that Reborn had briefly mentioned before.

"Harmonization is advantageous?" Harry put the question in a way that left Reborn free to comment on as many of the unmentioned aspects as he wanted. Harry needed reassurance that Reborn truly wanted this bond, everything else could come later.

Reborn had felt the tension in his Sky increase and answered the immediate question instantly, lest his Sky get any ideas. "Harmonization is something that is widely sought in the Mafia World. Though it can be tainted, in its pure form it is incomparable. For the bonded Elements Harmonization offers unconditional acceptance, a true home. It is something that Flame users dream about, similar to civilians dreaming about true love. There are books using Harmonization as a plot element in the place of love at first sight. It is definitely a good thing."

For the rest, Reborn took a moment to consider his answer. "As I am probably the most well-known unaffiliated member in the mafia, Sky users of pretty much all powerful and most not so powerful Famiglias have tried to pull me in. It is not necessarily a bad thing that they tried, as their inability to do so constantly reaffirmed my position as the strongest Sun." Reborn would not mention right away how much of a strain it was for an Element's Flames to constantly have a Sky pull at them.

His Sky was still intently focused on him, though some of the tension had bled out of his form. Probably also reading more from what Reborn was saying than he was actually putting into words. Just as Reborn had done during Harry's explanations.

Reborn continued. "Our situation is slightly different from the norm," - and there his Sky went with his adorable reactions again, wrinkling his nose and mumbling something that sounded quite resignedly disparaging into Reborn's shoulder - "because you are not actually part of a Famiglia. Sky users are pretty much immediately assimilated by a Famiglia, by force or coercion. Sky Flames are incredibly valuable in the Mafia World."

"As with everything there are pros and cons of course. While a Famiglia brings restrictions in the form of traditions, feuds, established alliances and enemies, it also offers additional protection to a Sky and his Elements. One definite drawback is that a Sky without all Elements is rarely left to his own devices and as the Famiglia is interested in the Sky completing their set of Guardian bonds, they will pick which Flame users to more or less parade in front of the Sky in question, thus extremely limiting the Sky's options."

"Furthermore, joining a weak Famiglia will immediately make the Sky and his Elements the main targets for any attack on that Famiglia. On the other hand, the strong Famiglias are generally based around a Sky in a hereditarily determined leadership position, thereby making a new Sky and his Elements cannon fodder in case of a conflict."

There was pure scorn on his Sky's face at that description. Reborn was well aware he himself was biased but he had still tried to at least somewhat give Harry both sides of the argument. He was relieved at Harry's apparent disinterest in joining a Famiglia. Though Reborn had been looking for a Sky bond for years now, he had always felt peeved at the idea of being ordered about by a Famiglia.

Now, somehow, he had the bond without those drawbacks, he noted smugly.

"We, however, have a significant advantage. Not only are you unaffiliated but I am also well capable of keeping us as independent as we wish to be. I assume you have no interest in joining a Mafia Famiglia?"

Harry's reaction was instant. "No. Definitely not. I categorically refuse any imposed obligations. Especially if it involves some old feuds that should have been cleared up years or even decades ago by whoever initiated them in the first place." Harry huffed his answer maybe a bit too adamantly. Ok, so maybe he had not yet entirely gotten over the war, but the cannon fodder comment had struck a nerve. He had already martyred himself once in his life. He refused to even risk having that happen to him again.

Reborn had definitely picked up on his vehemence at that statement and the arm along Harry's back tightened noticeably.

"Ok." Reborn stated easily. And there was definitely a smugly satisfied vibe to the bond now, Harry noted.

"What exactly does unaffiliated mean in your case?" Harry asked before any questions on his last statement could be asked. "I mean before you I didn't have any connections to the Mafia World at all. But in your case? Do you have specific alliances in the mafia?" Harry decided to leave the topic of Reborn's reputation as a hitman alone for now. That was a conversation for later.

Reborn answered easily. "I have my own network of alliances and contacts. It is another reason why any Famiglia would profit from having me in their ranks. And it is also one of the reasons why you as my Sky are definitely and specifically in danger. The easiest way for me to be tied down at this point is simply by capturing you and using our bond as a bargaining chip. They wouldn't even have to threaten to kill you. Just driving your Flames into discord would be enough of a threat. And they know that."

Harry loved and hated that statement at the same time. For one it implied heavily that Reborn would put Harry above anything - _everything_ \- else. And Merlin, did Harry adore the idea of finally having someone who would unquestionably put him first.

However, the other part of the statement made it very clear that not only would Harry be considered a liability from now on - and that was definitely a first for Harry, he had always been the one to get leverage over, not the tool to do so - but he felt his barely soothed magic join with his Flames and surge viciously at the thought of someone not only threatening Reborn but taking him from Harry.

Harry was well aware that he could get dangerously possessive of things he wanted or truly considered his. And he had never wanted anything quite as much as he wanted this bond, the unconditional acceptance, his Guardian, his Sun. _His_.

Their bond as a bargaining chip? No. He refused.

Harry took a brief moment to consider his response. "Well, there is something you should know, just to clear up any misunderstandings."

And that certainly got Reborn's attention.

Harry managed to keep his voice firm, even though he was slightly apprehensive about Reborn's reaction to this. "You mentioned ways to dissolve the bond between us."

Harry paused and waited until Reborn nodded carefully at that statement.

"Ok, so I don't think that is actually an option for us." Harry could feel Reborn's focus on him and he quickly rambled on to get the entire explanation out. "Our bond is not solely based on our Flames. My magic got involved as well. Our bond is based in Flames and magic. And magical bonds of this kind are permanent. No exceptions."

Reborn could see the apprehension on his Sky's face at his brief explanation. His Sky was watching for a reaction that signified Reborn being angry or resentful. But all Reborn could think was that this bond might be truly, definitely permanent. No way to force a separation. And his Sky was worried, worried that Reborn would not like being bound to him permanently and indefinitely.

And Reborn felt a rush of possessiveness.

This was his Sky. His perfect Sky. He had finally found a Sky strong enough to harmonize with him, a Sky that was unaffiliated and thus free, a Sky who seemed to solely worry about Reborn's reaction to these revelations and who didn't seem to feel any concern himself at being bound to Reborn permanently.

The side of him that was so very _possessivegreedyprotective_ , curled further around their bond in pure contentment at this.

Reborn didn't have to hold some of himself back in worry that this bond might be broken at some point. The worry that stemmed from the knowledge that truly good things did not happen to the World's Greatest Hitman. Except now it had. And Reborn was done. This was good enough to make up for all the crap that had been heaped on him in his life, to make up for all the years of loneliness and longing, to make up for everything.

Reborn tightened his arm around his Sky, basking in the feeling of Harmony and the knowledge that it wouldn't be taken from him. His Sky seemed to have understood that Reborn was quite content with this truly permanent bond and now had his eyes half closed, seemingly very willing to drift off again with his head rested against Reborn's shoulder.

Reborn was still waiting for the questions about the Mafia World. The first questions his Sky had asked had not been about the mafia at all but rather about the Flames and their bond. His Sky's priorities were certainly refreshing.

They sat in content silence for a while before Reborn asked distractedly, "By the way, what is the name of the magical mafia?"

His Sky looked slightly confused for a moment before responding. "Magical mafia? I don't think we have anything of the sort."

Reborn paused. No mafia equivalent in the Wizarding World? Then he grinned diabolically. Maybe they should just move there and take over the Wizarding World's criminal underworld. Now there was a thought.

Harry blinked up at his Sun. He was pretty sure that the smirk on Reborn's face did not bode well. For anyone involved.

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A/N: Ok, so this chapter was really hard to write for some reason. The story did not want to go at all how I had it planned... and it seemed to just go on and on and on. Sorry for the abrupt ending but I had to stop somewhere. Actually, on that note, do you guys prefer longer updates less often or frequent short updates? And to all you really funny people out there, frequent long updates is not an option :)

Also, there is a lot of jumping between POVs in this chapter. I wanted to try writing their interaction like this. Please let me know what you think.

To those who mentioned just having gotten started on KHR fanfiction, go check out the work of Araceil, reighost and cywscross. Their stories are mindblowingly awesome and got me hooked on KHR originally.

Chapter 5 pt2 review responses:

You guys are awesome! Thank you for all the reviews and at this point I might just be a little bit in love with all of you!

 **To Kshail:** Thanks for reviewing again! And thanks for recommending this story to your sister :) I separated the last chapter into two parts, because I had the first half finished and was still working on the second half. It is still meant as one chapter, just pt1 and pt2. Regarding Ron and Hermione, I will try to make the conclusion as realistic as possible. They are all still teenagers and just came out of war so the conflict will definitely be explosive. But I also think they are too mature to just not talk to each other anymore. You are right that the main problem will be lost trust on Harry's side.

 **To ShizuBABE:** Thanks for reviewing again! Though I am mostly not commenting on Harry's other Guardians I can definitely say that it won't just be the rest of the Arcobaleno. I think it would be far more interesting to mix in other Guardians and also some of the Arcobalenos really don't fit with the Harry I'm trying to write in this story.

 **To saku hyuuga:** Thank you for your review! Thanks for pointing out the time thing :) Thanks for your notes on the KHR verse though. I am far more familiar with HP and have spent more time reading fanfiction on KHR than actually reading the manga, so any help is very welcome :)

 **To Amethyst-Phoenix2003:** Thanks for your review! So far I haven't planned for Harry to become an animagus. If he does at some point, then it will definitely be some kind of cat just so I can write a scene with Reborn holding him in his arms and emulating a Bond villain :)

 **To Guest dragon:** Thanks for reviewing again! Regarding Harry's introduction, I find it more realistic for Harry to introduce himself with his first name only in this kind of setting. And as far as he knows, Reborn is only a first name as well. There is definitely going to be some explosions as soon as Reborn manages to gain access to the WW :)

 **To Aeterna Feles:** Thanks for your review! Glad you like the story. Luna will definitely be showing up at some point but I'm not yet telling whether she will be a Guardian. Thanks for the suggestion though :)

 **To Soaring Hawk1:** Thank you for your review! Xanxus will definitely make an appearance at some point but I'm not giving away any more than that :)


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: I don't own anything.

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Chapter 7

Harry was mesmerized.

He was watching Reborn prepare their dinner from the kitchen island after he had been banned from helping. Harry had to concede that his limbs still felt rather sluggish and he would prefer not losing a finger due to falling asleep while cutting vegetables.

After their discussion and the confirmation that their very much permanent bond was welcomed by both of them, they had just relaxed on the couch for a while. Harry had been comfortably dozing against Reborn's shoulder while they basked in the humming of their bond. Reborn had only moved them to the kitchen when Harry's stomach started complaining.

While Harry enjoyed cooking and actually prided himself in his own kitchen skills, the only times he had been allowed to cook had been at Privet Drive. He had always wanted to try experimenting with different styles of cooking, but at the Dursleys that handn't been an option as only British food was acceptable to them. And in the Wizarding World Molly Weasley had been very clear on who reigned in the kitchen. She had been truly miffed the few times Harry had tried to get involved in the kitchen without following her clear and very strict instructions.

Also, the Weasley matron certainly didn't have hands like that.

Harry felt almost hypnotized by the sinuous movements of Reborn's - large _warm_ \- hands dexterously handling the kitchen knives. And something in him was definitely intrigued by the thought that as a hitman Reborn could easily turn the kitchen utensil into a weapon at a moment's notice.

Harry was mesmerized.

* * *

Reborn was keeping his Sky constantly in view while preparing a light Italian dish. Harry was watching him intently, seemingly filing away every single movement. His Sky was just utterly adorable with his attentively widened eyes, tracking his every movement. Reborn certainly liked having the entirety of his Sky's attention focused exclusively on him.

Reborn commented, "Is there a specific kind of pesto you prefer with your pasta?"

"Never had it." Harry replied absently.

"You never had pesto?" Reborn asked.

"Well, no. I have only ever tried a few French dishes, other than that I've only ever had English food." Harry admitted.

Reborn paused. "That we will definitely have to correct. Italian food is divine." Again, something to add to the ever growing list about his Sky's previous life.

Reborn was loathe to interrupt Harry's complete focus on him, but Harry seemed to come out of it as soon as Reborn put down the utensils and lifted the two prepared plates. His Sky immediately looked up with his slightly flushed cheeks - and dios mio Reborn was going to have to lock him away, lest someone else witness his delectable responses - getting up to move with Reborn to the dining area.

They settled at the table and Harry watched Reborn curl his pasta onto his fork before imitating the movements. Reborn was just going to have to give up on commenting every time his Sky did something enticing that made Reborn want to hide him away from the world.

Reborn watched possessively as his Sky took the first bite and then hummed luxuriously with half lidded eyes at the flavors. Trying to distract himself from the odd mixture of adorable and almost sinful expression on Harry's face, he restarted their earlier conversation. Though, a lighter topic might be preferable.

"So, you mentioned a magical education." Reborn commented.

"Yes, Hogwarts." His Sky practically lit up at the question.

Reborn incredulously raised an eyebrow at the name, but was entirely ignored by his Sky.

Harry continued enthusiastically. "Hogwarts is a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands. It is a huge castle that has been a school for several hundred years now and the castle itself has gained a certain level of sentience due to the constantly high magical saturation. There are moving stair cases and talking portraits and moving sets of armor in the halls."

Harry knew his enthusiasm was showing. He flushed - yet again! - when he caught the softened look in Reborn's eyes.

Thinking of Hogwarts always brought back a little of the initial marvel Harry at an entire new world, a world with magic and wonder and most importantly without the Dursleys. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that the oh so very shiny new world had some very dark spots on its flip side. But some of his initial wonder had always remained at the mention of his first ever home.

Harry tried to continue in a slightly calmer manner. "Magical education for wizards and witches starts at eleven years old and Hogwarts has a seven year curriculum."

Reborn considered several questions this brought up and just went with the most obvious. "What about magical education before Hogwarts, before turning eleven?"

"Well, there are no real primary schools in the Wizarding World. Parents either tutor their children themselves or get a tutor to teach a group of kids. Children in the Muggle World just go to primary school until they get the Hogwarts letter." Harry stated easily.

Reborn just had more and more questions. "Muggle?"

"Ah. Non-magical people. The same way you seem to refer to civilians." Harry explained.

"So the Wizarding World isn't clearly separated from the non-magical world with wizards living in the Muggle World." Reborn commented.

"Hm, well the worlds are separated, but the Magical and the Muggle World were actually intertwined well into the dark ages. While the separation process started long before that, they only ultimately separated a few hundred years ago. Because the two worlds used to live right alongside each other a lot of magical sites are embedded into the non-magical world, though generally only accessible through certain magical gateways."

"Doesn't that make keeping magic a secret quite difficult?" Reborn inquired dubiously.

"Well yes, but we have entire government branches assigned to taking care of exactly that. They can detect if magic is revealed to muggles, mostly by detecting magic in any unregistered non-magical areas. They show up and erase or change memories of any witnesses."

Reborn remembered Harry's comment before his initial explanation about magic that someone might show up at the apartment if he told Reborn about his world. It hadn't made much sense then, but it certainly did now. And Reborn really didn't like the idea of someone screwing around in his head.

He would leave this topic for now as it was already late and this would probably turn into a longer conversation. His Sky was still recovering and he would be maneuvering Harry to bed soon as his rest was far more important. Still, they would definitely be returning to this topic.

There was a short silence as they finished their dinner and Reborn considered the conversation.

"So, a boarding school. Sounds incredibly boring. Or incredibly fun, of the not so innocent sort."

Harry paused, confused, before he flushed. "We start at eleven years old!"

"Hm, right before puberty hits then." Reborn agreed lazily.

Harry spluttered. And Reborn smirked while watching his adorably flustered Sky trying to regain his composure.

* * *

The next morning Reborn went out for groceries as well as to check on the current state of affairs regarding the Corocos Famiglia. He knew that his Sky would soon start asking the harder questions soon, about the mafia, about his role in the mafia, and Reborn wanted to have as many clear answers as possible.

For now he would ignore the blind fury that was still burning through his veins whenever he thought of where he had found his Sky and who all might have been involved in that. Reborn really didn't like leaving his Sky alone in the apartment, though he knew it was safe, but he had to keep on top of things and make sure that there wouldn't be any surprises.

It also gave him a moment to think about the various revelations of the past few days.

Reborn had a Sky. The strongest Sun in the Mafia World had finally found a Sky strong enough to pull him in. Reborn had finally harmonized, was finally experiencing the sheer warmth of Harmony, the feeling of having a home, of unconditional acceptance, of genuine welcome. For the first time in his life Reborn had somewhere - _someone_ \- to return to.

And what a someone that was. He had not only found himself a Sky strong enough to bond with him, a Sky with ridiculously pure Flames, but he had found _Harry_. Harry who was kind and shy and strong and innocent and wholeheartedly accepting of Reborn. Who no matter how young seemed to understand the harsh loneliness of being on your own even while surrounded by people. Who knew the crushing disappointment of having people want you but not for the reasons you would like. Who understood loyalty just as he knew the paralyzing disillusionment of betrayal. Who had returned Reborn's shift of focus onto his Sky by ignoring the outside world entirely and making Reborn his focal point instead.

This didn't even factor in yet that his Sky was free. No ties to the mafia, to any Famiglia and, based on his vehement denial of accepting any new obligations, also free from obligations in the magical world.

Reborn was a lucky bastard, knew how very damn lucky he was for having found Harry. But there had been so much crap in his life, he had been looking, desperately longing for so long. He damn well deserved this.

And as a final glorious bonus, the bond was permanent, apparently went even beyond Harmony and had been turned into a magical soul bond. Though if there had been an additional power pushing for a bond, that might actually explain how very instant the bond had been upon their meeting. The fact that there was actual magic out there... well, it had certainly been a surprise but it wasn't something that was going to really throw him for a loop. Flames were already well into the realm of the supernatural and magic just added another layer to that.

Reborn had no problem with shifting his entire focus, the center of his world onto Harry. His Sky had not even yet deemed it necessary to inquire about his job as a hitman. Harry didn't really seem to care, seemed to simply accept Reborn in whatever way he could get him. And Reborn would gladly rearrange his life based on that.

Reborn's own life in the mafia was easily put on hold as he did not have any obligations to anyone. So Reborn could go with his Sky to the Magical World, sort out whatever or _whoever_ needed any form of 'clarification' in Harry's life. And then they could decide what to do, whether to stay in the Magical World or to move to Italy to try out the mafia. To be honest, Reborn didn't even really care as he would bend the world to his and Harry's will anyways no matter who they had to bring over to their way of thinking.

He almost felt like cackling gleefully as he made his way through the city.

It didn't take him long to get the information he was looking for and he was reassured that the destruction of the Corocos base was not being linked to him at all. Mostly because starting almost right after his own wave of destruction other parts of the Corocos Famiglia had been taken apart. By now there really wasn't much of Corocos left, just as Reborn had predicted. Reborn had been tempted to leak some information on the Corocos to the rest of the mafia in order to facilitate their destruction but he had decided against it, lest someone linked it back to him and started wondering why he would be interested in such a minor player of the Mafia World. Though apparently others had heard rumors of the technology that Reborn had 'liberated' from the Corocos and were now looking for it in a desperate race to get there first.

Reborn snorted internally. Obviously he had gotten there first. Not only first but also before anyone else had even really known about it.

With his information confirmed he made his way back to the apartment and to his adorable Sky.

* * *

Harry was curled up on the couch while Reborn had gone out 'for groceries'. Though Harry was grateful as this gave him some time to consider his current situation and the revelations of the past days.

He now had another form of energy that tied into his very soul in addition to the one he had been born with that was part of his very being. Harry was getting the feeling that neither Flames nor magic was actually preclusive of the other. Though he would definitely need to research this topic and see whether there was anything on Flames in the Magical World. His magic and his Flames appeared to get along just fine and seemed to agree on every level with his instincts.

On that note, his instincts were adamant regarding the _safetyprotectionsanctuarypriorityhome_ of his new bond, a bond by magic and Flames. A soul bond to a hitman - and hadn't there been enough crazy in Harry's life already between magic and Dark Lords and now mafia? Not to give the wrong impression, he adored the idea of this bond. Of a permanent anchor in his life, someone he could turn to, who wanted Harry - _just_ Harry - and who truly seemed to enjoy Harry's presence.

And even though mention of the mafia made him slightly nervous, Harry was well aware that one of his main problems was his endless and uncompromising curiosity. He was actually kind of looking forward to finding out what Reborn meant with 'mafia' exactly. So far he had avoided this topic as it seemed to be too personal, too much conflict potential while they did not know much about each other. They would get there at some point.

Harry had decided early on to treat the hitman topic the same way he wanted the savior topic to be treated. As long as he did not feel anywhere near comfortable to discuss the war, he would not force any answers on Reborn's previous life either. It seemed only fair and to be honest Harry adored the time they spent just talking without any contention.

There were still enough topics available that would already be hard to discuss, such as Harry's capture or his home life. Harry could see that Reborn was starting to put together the various clues and though he would really like to avoid that particular epiphany there were far worse topics yet to come. His Sun would find out about the Dursleys eventually and if Harry was honest it had never been all that well hidden by him or anyone else. It was just that no one ever seemed to want to notice or care enough to take a second look. Until now that is. And Harry adored his Sun for that alone.

Harry had also noticed that he had started to refer to Reborn as his Sun sometimes in his mind. It wasn't only the fact that he referred to him as a Sun - the _warmthlightlifeheat_ pulsing along their bond made it easy to identify Reborn with that word - but more that he referred to Reborn as his, as Harry's.

Harry had learned early in his life that he was not to own anything. That he was only ever given things because no one else wanted them. That anything he did receive actually belonged to someone else while Harry was just generously allowed to use it. That it could be taken away at a moment's notice because it wasn't really Harry's in the first place. It was the first lesson from the Dursleys that Harry had identified as something that only ever applied to him. Everyone else had things, belongings, favorite toys, friends. Harry didn't.

It was a lesson that left its mark.

It had taken him years to actually refer to Ron and Hermione as _his_ friends. They had been Ron and Hermione in his mind for a long time and there had only been a short time where he had truly thought of them as his, before the first conflicts between them had started to drive that thought out of his head again. Now he rarely referred to them as his friends in his mind unless he was being a sarcastic shit.

It was one of the reasons why Harry treasured some of his possessions so much. His cloak was the only thing he truly had left from his family, something that had been intended for him by his parents, but even that had been passed on by Dumbledore and not by his parents directly which somehow changed its meaning in Harry's mind. He loved his photo album for the thought that had been put into it and for the memories, it was something that had been made _for_ him and he definitely loved that thought. Still, the one thing of value that had only ever and truly been his was his wand. No one had owned it before him. No one had any proprietary rights regarding the wand or any history to tell about it that Harry did not know about.

But now, suddenly, he had Reborn - and Harry would raze to the ground whoever thought to try and change that - Reborn was Harry's. Harry's Sun, his Guardian, his bonded. Simply his.

At that thought there was a pulse of utter and comforting warmth from the bond.

Harry would trust Reborn, he would do his best to make their bond into the best it could possibly be, because it was invaluable to him. Harry knew that he had always given his trust easily, maybe simply because in his childhood he didn't have anyone to trust. Though on the flipside his trust was just as easily and uncompromisingly broken.

Even though Ron and Hermione had always had a kind of special standing and more leeway than anyone else, this had still always applied to them. No matter what happened and how much Harry treasured their friendship he had never truly forgotten or forgiven the various breaks of trust. He was devoted to their friendship first and everything else second, but Harry was well aware that this was not entirely reciprocated.

Ron's friendship had always had conditions attached. His initial interest in Harry and his friendship had been due to him being the Boy-Who-Lived. Which was fine as Ron didn't know Harry himself at that point. However, Harry knew that even at this point Ron was a bigot and would despise anything he considered dark, pureblood or Slytherin, even if that would include Harry himself. Not to even mention his jealousy. Ron had entirely broken their friendship twice, once during the tournament and once during the horcrux hunt. Both situations where Harry had truly needed him and depended on him. That was something that Harry could not forgive. He still considered Ron a friend, Harry just knew better than to trust him.

Similarly, Harry had realized quickly that, though Hermione was a great friend who stuck with him through most of everything, her first loyalty was not to him but to her own beliefs. This sounded far worse than it actually was, but Hermione had always been uncompromisingly insistent on her own interpretation of things. If Harry truly decided to go against her, she went over his head. It had started with simple things such as the Firebolt in third year, followed by her easy acceptance during the TriWiz Tournament of Ron's jealousy as enough of a reason to shun Harry with the rest of the school and finally her willingness to listen to Dumbledore and ignore Harry during the summer of fifth year. She was still a great friend and had seen the entire war through at his side, but again, Harry could not and would not trust her with himself the way he would have liked to.

Ron and Hermione's friendship was based on conditions and Harry knew that if he wanted to keep their friendship he could never stray from those. Harry was for example convinced that if he were to ever voice interest in what the other side was going for politically Ron and Hermione would never be able to accept that. Even though they knew him best, they still had problems separating Harry from Harry Potter and tended to treat him and his so called responsibilities based on his status as a symbol rather than as their friend. And Ron and Hermione's decision to leave him at the Dursleys was yet another instance - one too many - where Harry himself and his opinion didn't really factor in for them. It was yet another break of trust and though he would do his best to wait to pass judgement until he could talk to them and listen to their reasoning, he didn't think he was going to be able to get over this.

It had pained him when he had allowed himself to consider this during the time after the Battle of Hogwarts but he had come to the conclusion that they were not entirely loyal to Harry himself. Not like he was loyal to them, unquestionably and immovably loyal - loyal like Neville or Luna.

Which reminded him, he needed to contact someone in the Wizarding World as some people were probably going out of their mind trying to find him. With his Guardian present he had been able to mostly avoid thinking about the situation with his magic and various friends and the Dursleys and, dear Merlin, Madam Pomfrey was going to kill him. Or tie him to his bed. Not that Reborn would be complaining in that case.

Harry blushed. He really needed to get a grip on his thoughts. And his priorities.

Back to the topic at hand, how to contact anyone in the Wizarding World. He knew that the Wizarding World wouldn't be able to reach him easily either, as owl post worked based on a wizard's magical signature. Harry's core had been reset and not yet entirely been re-shaped, so owls would not be able to find him.

Additionally, even though the healers had been certain that his magic would settle on its own and wouldn't need any further outside assistance after the treatment, that had been based on the assumption that someone would be there to monitor his recovery. Though based on Harry's instincts, his magic seemed to be fine and settling, getting smoother every day and continuously coiling with his Flames along the edges of his core. It was incredibly reassuring feeling, the smooth humming of both these... hm, energies, entities, powers?

He had not yet had any chance to actually use his Flames but they seemed to reassuringly pulse with his magic. Though he was looking forward to try using them as even just pulsing around his core he felt the utter warmth they radiated. It would probably be best to wait to try out his Flames until his magic had settled down into his core again and he had been given the all clear by a healer.

Still, how to contact the healers all the while being unable to enter the Wizarding World due to his magic having adjusted to his non-magical surroundings. If Hedwig were still alive this wouldn't even be a problem. She would probably still have been able to find him based on their bond and would have shown up by now, pissed as all hell that he had left her behind. He would have spent a few hours groveling and offering her food before she would graciously give in and start pecking at his hair trying to put it into some kind of order.

Merlin how he missed her. Harry felt the pain of the grief and the guilt swell and he forced his mind away from these thoughts. He would have time to grief later. Much later.

So, he couldn't enter the Wizarding World - he didn't even know where the next Magical District might be located around here, or even where exactly _here_ was - and he couldn't travel to England because that would also strain his magic. He knew that there was some way for normal post to reach the Wizarding World as that system allowed muggleborns to keep in contact with their parents, who obviously wouldn't have an owl. But he was pretty certain that system would have collapsed during the war.

Well damn. He couldn't think of a single way to reach anyone in the Wizarding World.

His best bet seemed to be to wait until his core calmed entirely, travel to Britain and try to contact someone from there. If everything else failed, Reborn could just enter the Leaky Cauldron and have someone there contact a healer.

Harry grinned viciously. The Wizarding World so wasn't ready for someone like Reborn, muggle or not.

* * *

Reborn returned to the apartment to find his Sky settled on the couch smirking wickedly at his own thoughts. Reborn felt something in his chest purr at the sight.

He set down the groceries and pulled out the tea he had brought for Harry.

"Thinking good thoughts?" Reborn asked as he walked over.

"Definitely." Harry's eyes lit up as he saw the tea. "Thinking about you."

Reborn actually felt his eyebrows raise at that response. That certainly was unexpectedly assertive of his Sky.

There was a pause. Then Harry's face practically exploded in red as he started stammering. "No... not like... I was just... not like that... and just... you're... and the Wizarding World..."

The blush was starting to look painful. Reborn just couldn't help himself, he leaned down and pressed an affectionate kiss to one of his Sky's glowing cheeks.

"You are exquisitely adorable." Reborn said aloud.

It certainly didn't make the blush any better but at least it stopped his Sky from starting to hyperventilate.

Reborn moved towards the kitchen to give Harry some time to gather himself, while smirking wickedly. Oh yes, his Sky would be his entirely. There was no way he was going to let anyone else have his endearingly delicious, innocent little Sky. No way at all.

He prepared some tea for his Sky and an espresso for himself before moving back to the couch where Harry was still looking flushed. Reborn settled on the couch, handed him the tea and wrapped an arm around his Sky.

It took a moment before Harry tried to elaborate on his last statement.

"I was just thinking about how to reach anyone in the Wizarding World. I can't travel right now and the usual channels of communication aren't available to me here. Even if I could get to England, I can't enter the Wizarding World, as I am not supposed to switch to a magically saturated area right now. So I was just thinking that if you were to go in my stead and give someone a message that they really wouldn't know how to handle a muggle like you."

His Sky still had a slight blush on his cheeks - so damn adorable - and was speaking quietly, not directly looking at Reborn.

"Muggle like me?" Reborn asked gleefully.

"Well, when the Wizarding World separated from the Muggle World muggles were still mostly uneducated and not so big on hygiene. Wizards born and raised in the Magical World tend to still think of muggles as they were at that time, pitchforks and all, even though they regularly see parts of the Muggle World and should be able to see beyond their ignorance. And just imagining some of those bigots meeting you... it's quite amusing."

"Huh. That we will definitely have to try." Reborn smirked. Cutting some bigoted idiots down to size... yeah, he could definitely have fun with that. "Why do wizards regularly enter the Muggle World at all?"

"Oh, I forgot. The lines between Wizarding and Muggle World are not quite as clearly defined as you might think." Harry took a moment to consider how to best explain the intricacies of the Magical World. "Ok, first, the main difference between wizards and muggles is the magical core. However, while a child from a magical household will always have a magical core, it will not necessarily be able to access the magic. These children are called squibs. Similarly, muggles sometimes have children with a magical core and the potential to use magic. These children are called muggleborns. With their eleventh birthday when the Hogwarts attendance letters are sent out, most squibs are tossed into the Muggle World as they can't weave traditional wizarding magic while muggleborns are brought into the Wizarding World to attend Hogwarts for seven years."

"Hm, with the muggleborns joining them at school shouldn't wizards have realized that they are very much literate these days?" Reborn asked dubiously.

"They should, but wizards aren't big on common sense. Maybe they use muggleborns having magic, no matter how tainted in their eyes, as an excuse." Harry commented disdainfully.

Reborn raised an eyebrow and asked pointedly, "Tainted?"

"Well, no not really tainted." Harry hesitated trying to think of a way to explain the Wizarding World's rampant bigotry and racism without also mentioning the war. He wasn't ready for that conversation yet. "The Wizarding World is incredibly racist though not on the same topics as the non-magical world. Wizards don't care about skin color or sexuality even though that is a far wider topic for us than for muggles. Instead racism in our world is based around blood purity and magical orientation."

Reborn would definitely be getting back to the topic of sexuality being a wider topic for wizards. That sure sounded... interesting.

"Blood purity refers to a wizard's ancestry and exactly 'how' magical they are." Harry's tone was clearly disparaging. "Depending on their ancestry wizards are referred to as pureblood with a long ancestry of only wizards, muggleborn with no wizarding heritage, and halfblood which describes pretty much any possible variation in between those first terms."

"What are you then?" Reborn asked his Sky interestedly.

"Well, I'm a bit complicated. My parents were both magical but I grew up muggle. My father was a pureblood from the Ancient and Noble House of Potter but my mother was muggleborn. So I'm halfblood." Harry answered carefully, while hiding his brief anxiety at revealing his last name. He relaxed when Reborn didn't show any sort of reaction to him being Harry bloody Potter. Another hurdle out of the way.

So much information in that brief statement. Potter, his Sky's last name. Ancient and _Noble_ House, as in aristocratic? Definitely noting that down. And grew up muggle? So not with his parents then. Harry's mother was muggleborn, so it had to be her family that Harry grew up with. This would definitely make Reborn's revenge easier. Also, Reborn had noticed his Sky strangely tensing up during his answer. Reborn hated not being able to ask and satisfy his curiosity, but he would not press for information yet. Reborn liked getting to know his Sky during their talk about their respective worlds without tainting the talk with difficult topics. Also, his Sky was clearly willing to start giving out more personal information. Reborn would wait.

Reborn had noted the disdainful way Harry talked about this matter, but he aimed to get the full picture first and asked. "What did you mean with magical orientation?"

Another brief pause, before Harry answered. "As I mentioned before, magic weaved by wizards and witches is classified into several categories. Right now it is quite common to categorize all magic into either light or dark, even including creatures for some reason. Sadly, these definitions have become more and more political rather than factual. Over the last decades the terms light and dark have become pretty much synonymous with good and evil and have very little to do with the nature of the underlying magic."

Harry continued his explanation, while trying to figure out how to describe one of the biggest conflicts in the Wizarding World as factually as possible. "The branches of light and dark magic originally describe the nature of the weaved magic and have nothing to do with the intent or moral disposition of the wielder. Any wizard has a natural inclination towards light, dark or grey magic, which is mostly shaped based on genetics and magic use while young. For any given application, there are dark as well as light spells because it is easier to use spells corresponding to the tint of one's magic. For example, it is quite arduous for someone with a dark core to use light spells and the other way around."

"Bigotry in the Wizarding World is rampant, though kind of mirrored on either side of the argument. I'm just speaking in general now, of course there are numerous exceptions." Harry paused for a moment as Reborn left him to gather his thoughts. "Purebloods mostly come from old noble houses with ancient history and thus they still pass on old family Magicks to their children. Muggleborns in general cannot access old Magicks as it is anchored in bloodlines. The Ministry however has been making old Magicks illegal by claiming them to be dark magic which of course is unacceptable to the purebloods. Additionally, in their craze to ban all old Magicks the Ministry also banned most of the just naturally dark magic, which is thus never practiced by muggleborns. This manipulates their cores towards light no matter their natural inclination simply because they have never practiced any other kind of magic."

Harry figured this was the best way to describe wizarding bigotry for now. "In summary, purebloods already detest anything muggle and thus also muggleborns. They see muggleborns as inferior due to their inability to manipulate old Magicks which are essential in wizarding history and culture. Additionally, purebloods hold muggleborns responsible for the banning of large parts of their culture. In turn, muggleborns revile anything dark as it is now used synonymous with evil and thus they not only reject anything traditionally pureblood such as old Magicks but also the entire dark magic branch, further tipping the already fragile balance."

Ok, there was a lot that was still missing in that explanation and Reborn knew that this kind of societal discord had to erupt into a conflict - his Sky had said _Savior of the Wizarding World_ \- at some point. Still, Reborn easily decided to remain on topic. They had time.

Reborn summarized. "So in general, purebloods are racist based on blood purity and muggleborns are racist based on magical orientation."

Harry nodded after a careful pause. "There are of course exceptions as some pureblood families have traditionally light magical cores, just as there are wizards coming in from the Muggle World who have dark magical cores."

Reborn could sense that his Sky was quite afraid of the obvious follow-up questions and switched to a different topic. "You mentioned quite a few more magic branches during your initial explanation."

There was clear relief in his Sky's eyes at this topic. "Well, there is grey magic which is kind of neutral, as grey spells can easily be performed by light and dark wizards and grey wizards can use light and dark spells. There is elemental magic which is directly connected to natural elements, though far more complex than just fire, water, wind and earth. There is also black magic, which is actually more along the lines of what people mean when talking about dark magic, though they have nothing to do with each other. Black magic is a completely different branch of magic and includes practices that are considered unnatural even by magic itself, such as necromancy."

"Raising the dead? Really?" Reborn asked kind of irritated at the thought.

"Well no, not really. There are ways to call back souls from the beyond or re-animate a dead body, just as there are ways to keep someone indefinitely alive no matter how close they are to death. But bringing a person back to life after they died is still very much impossible."

Reborn couldn't help himself. He asked amused. "Re-animated corpses. You actually have zombies?"

Harry looked slightly amused as he clearly got the reference, though a shudder worked itself down his spine, as he unconsciously tucked himself closer into the warmth of Reborn's side. Surprised by the reaction - and there was definitely a story there - Reborn tightened his arm around his Sky's shoulders, letting his Sun Flames warm the room around them even further.

His Sky still answered easily. "Something like zombies, eerily like it to be honest. We call them Inferi and they are re-animated corpses, puppets to their creator's will though they can exist well beyond the master's death."

Reborn actually had to digest that. Real zombies. He certainly hadn't counted on ever confirming that part of entertainment media to be true. The Magical World sure had its unpleasant sides. Harry was watching him intently, obviously still fearing a negative reaction to magic. But he relaxed when Reborn just reassuringly pulled him in closer into his side.

They sat in comfortable silence while Reborn felt his Flames pretty much purr in contentment.

After a while Harry asked, "What about Flames? What are they used for?"

That was an easy enough question for Reborn to answer.

"Flames themselves are quite complex and their use largely depends on the user. However, in the mafia they are mainly valued for Harmonization, for imparting additional abilities and for enhancement during fights. The Harmonization is mainly valued for its role in strengthening a Famiglia due to Guardian bonds with the Famiglia's Sky. The Flame abilities depend on the Flame type with Activation for Sun, Harmony for Sky, Disintegration for Storm, Tranquility for Rain, Hardening for Lightning, Construction for Mist and Propagation for Cloud. These abilities do pretty much exactly what their names imply, as for example Activation is generally used defensively to activate healing properties and Disintegration is used offensively for destruction. How far these abilities are developed entirely depends on the strength and the discipline of the user. All Flame types can additionally be used in battle to augment weapons or reflexes, however, it again depends on the skill of the individual."

His Sky had set down his empty tea cup and was now again leaning his head against Reborn's shoulder. Reborn noted to himself that he would gladly spend days just sitting in his apartment, with his Sky tucked into his side and their bond humming between them, while being certain that the threat level was at a minimum simply because no one even knew about his Sky yet.

Reborn continued, "Additionally, Flame types have certain personality traits attributed to them. It is of course a general description and doesn't always apply entirely or it can even be inverted, but the stronger the Flame the stronger certain character traits will be emphasized. There are also several other Flame types that are either part of an entirely different set, such as the Flames of the Earth which is equivalent to the Flames of the Sky, or can mix in with existing Flame types. There are also some special Flames that have only ever been wielded by a single individual but those are rare."

Harry considered this. "How do you learn how to use your Flames? Is it passed on in the family or the Famiglia?"

"We actually have a mafia academy, though its main purpose is to educate mafia children on the politics involved in the mafia. A tutor actually handles most of the training of newly activated strong Flame users. Also, while the predisposition for Flames is certainly genetic, the Flame type isn't, with Sky Flames being the only exception as they are actually mostly hereditary."

Harry was silent for a moment. He loved Reborn's voice and could spend the entire day listening to him talk. He was also a really good teacher and Harry adored how Reborn would answer all his questions even though he seemed to be leaving out some information, just as Harry had done during his explanation. For now he would assume anything that Reborn didn't explain to be complicated and should be discussed later on. There still were enough questions to ask without badgering his Sun for details.

"The other Flame types, how are they relevant to the mafia? And the personality as well as the polarization, how do they affect the Flames?"

Ok, this was going to take awhile. Reborn got comfortable, leaning back against the couch and pulling his Sky in further. In the end he had Harry curled into his side with his head resting against Reborn's chest and his curled up legs partially resting on Reborn's lap. His Sky certainly didn't seem to have any complaints about this arrangement, though there was a slight blush on his cheeks.

Reborn got started on explaining the different variations of Flames, the rarer ones and how personality also played a role for Flame users, how it could affect Guardian bonds. His Sky was attentively listening throughout the entire explanation, while distractedly playing with the buttons on Reborn's shirt. It was driving him insane, especially since he was certain that Harry was entirely unconscious of his actions. From time to time Harry would ask questions for clarification but otherwise he was just listening.

When he finished with his explanation and his Sky didn't ask any further questions, they remained sitting on the couch for a while. With his Sky curled against his chest as he was, Reborn thought that he truly could spend his entire day just like this.

After a while Reborn asked a question that had been on his mind pretty much since the beginning. "By the way, was there a particular reason you refused normal doctors so adamantly when I found you?"

Harry paused, not expecting this particular question right now. "Well, for one, they could never have diagnosed me correctly, as the problem was my magic, so who knows what they might have come up with."

"Hmm." Though plausible, his Sky was definitely leaving something out.

"Erm, well. For me there is also something else. I have something in my blood that makes non-magical drugs completely useless, burns it out of my system pretty much immediately. Even some magical drugs are useless for me. The muggle doctors would have noticed something strange if any medication they gave me would have just pretty much vanished without any effect." Harry tried to put it diplomatically.

"Something in your blood? Genetic?" Reborn didn't like where this was going.

"Well, no." Harry considered his answer and decided to just be honest, though not without warning his obviously protective Guardian. "Ok. So you are not going to like this."

"Ominous." Reborn _really_ didn't like where this was going.

Well, nothing for it then. Harry responded. "It's a very potent poison, basilisk venom. Actually one of the most potent poisons in the Magical World."

"And _how exactly_ did you get that into your blood?" Reborn tried to remain calm.

"I was bitten?" Harry answered hesitantly.

"By a basilisk? As in the reptile that kills with one look? And apparently has an very potent poison?" Reborn was infuriated. And fucking terrified by what that could have meant - he could have lost his Sky before he ever even met him - even though Harry was sitting right next to him.

Harry tried to calm his Sun by changing the topic. "Then a phoenix cried into my wound. Phoenix tears are one of the most potent healing agents in the Magical World."

An incredulous silence. Reborn for once didn't know what to say. First the most potent poison and then the most potent healing agent?

Harry had to admit it sounded ludicrous. "I call it the Potter luck." Harry stated humorously.

"...dios mio, my heart might just give out before we ever make it out of this apartment. Actually, I don't think you will ever be stepping a foot outside that door. That should keep you at least decently safe." Reborn commented. He grumbled internally. Why were the truly adorable ones - _the most important thing in his life_ \- always so much damn trouble?

Harry was actually amused. "Heh, believe me, there is no such thing when I'm concerned. Trouble finds me anywhere."

Reborn took a moment to digest the new information and to calm himself down. He was almost tempted to ask for the details of that particular story, but he decided he might just have had enough of a shock for one day. He considered their conversation and finally commented, "I have to say, you are being surprisingly candid with your answers. I had expected some reticence to be honest. Just as I had expected a lot more questions."

Harry responded comfortably. "Hm. I really _really_ hate being lied to, but I find the notion that we should expect to know everything about the other, or have the right to demand such, ridiculous. I would just prefer that if you don't want to tell me something you simply say so."

Ok. So there was definitely a story behind that. But it was also a mindset that Reborn could easily live with. His Sky was ridiculously perfect. If Harry's main condition was not being lied to, Reborn's life just got a whole lot easier than he had ever dared to hope.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, the story is moving towards actual plot development now. Next chapter is probably going to include mentions of the war and Reborn being a hitman. So, I'm getting there.

Chapter 6 review responses:

I adore you guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews!

 **To LadyKarma18:** Thanks for reviewing! Harry and Xanxus are definitely going to meet but I'm not telling what's going to happen with that :)

 **To gojyo-lover20** & **AngeLinks:** Thanks for your reviews! Regarding the chapter length and how often I will update I don't actually set a goal for a single chapter or anything of the sort. I am aiming to at least update once a week, more often if I can. Sometimes though I already have a short section done that I feel could be posted as a single chapter even if there might not be that much progress and I wanted everyone's thoughts on that.

 **To Aiko Namikara & ******xxXYourBestFriendXxx** : **Thank you for your review! I definitely won't forget about Teddy :) Just give me some time to get them to the WW first.

 **To Lex:** Thanks for your extensive review! I'm glad you like the story :) Harry is definitely going to be powerful but not godlike or anything like that. He also got... Wait, I'm giving too much away :)

 **To Alween & Keelan1210 & Glorilian & of Serendip:** Thank you for the reviews! Regarding the H&R situation, there is definitely going to be a clash (Reborn will make sure of that) but it will not be as extreme as in other stories and there won't be any nefarious intent behind their screw up. There also won't be many OCs in this story. About the Dursleys, Vernon is as usual the main perpetrator (I tried to indicate this during that segment in chapter 2 but it will become clearer in later chapters)

 **To L's Cappuccino:** Thank you for your review! That's pretty much exactly my thoughts on the matter of organized crime in the WW. I also figure that any Dark Lord would go recruiting amongst the less reputable wizards first and the MoM would also crack down on them first since they are a known entity. There will still be some crime going on in the underground because I find it more realistic. Oh, yes I love pretty much all of esama's stories and especially that one as well. Thanks for the suggestion!

 **To Arleria & Andy & fai. pailin:** Thanks for your reviews! I'm aiming for a story where Reborn and Harry actually integrate at least partially into both worlds as I find that far more realistic with this setup than them simply ignoring one or the other. So, Harry learning to use guns and making magic available to Reborn... :)

 **To OvO:** Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like the story :) I am not commenting on the KHR timeline or Harry's future Guardians yet as I don't want to give too much away for later chapters. Though I can definitely say, that neither will all the arcobaleno bond with Harry nor will all his Guardians be from the WW.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Don't own. Minimal time skip.

* * *

Chapter 8

It had been several days since Harry had finally woken up entirely aware. With some decent sleep and no travel he was feeling much better than he had just a few days ago. Reborn's presence also definitely helped with settling his magic and Harry was ecstatic to again feel his magic as a steady hum in the back of his mind.

They had spent the last few days mostly talking, explaining, discussing. And Harry loved it. By now Harry's favorite part of the day was the evenings they spent talking about anything that came to mind. Harry would usually somehow end up tucked into Reborn's side and basking in the warmth of his Guardian and the pulsing of their bond.

Harry blushed at that thought. It still made him slightly anxious, simply because he was not used to that kind of intimacy, to physical reassurance and contact. He had never had that before, had never had anyone who he wanted to be close to, had never had anyone want him there without an agenda. The ease with which they had fallen into this pattern was still confusing to Harry.

Still, Harry loved their conversations and although they had not yet broached the topics of saviors and hitmen, they were definitely working their way towards the more difficult conversations. So far, they had mostly talked about things like Hogwarts and its curriculum or some of the more important Mafia Famiglias.

Still, Harry could see how Reborn was putting together the various clues and crumbs of information into the not so nice picture that was his life.

Right now they were comfortably chatting while Reborn was working on his notebook at the dining table and Harry was in the kitchen preparing some tea. Reborn - the heathen - was still refusing to even try some tea.

Reborn had been asking questions about the Wizarding World, though mostly about harmless topics. They had just been talking about Harry's magic, his treatment at St. Mungo's and how to get in touch with the healers in the Wizarding World.

Reborn inquired about one of Harry's earlier comments. "You mentioned that the usual channels of communication for contacting someone in the Wizarding World aren't open to you right now."

Harry considered how to answer as he settled at the table with his tea and a glass of water for Reborn. Harry knew he was going to sound insane but in order to explain why he couldn't contact the healers he gave Reborn an overview of owl post, communication mirrors and charmed journals. Finally he explained the Floo Network - almost getting a double take from Reborn at that - which led to the topic of magical transportation, including Floo Travel, Apparition, Flying, the Knight Bus and Portkeys. Harry noted to himself that it really wasn't easy to comprehensively explain the Wizarding World.

In return Reborn then explained various applications of Flame abilities such as his Activation for healing or a Storm's Disintegration for complete destruction. They had also talked about mafia organizations outside of Italy, with Reborn describing most of Europe's various criminal underground organizations.

Harry was currently pondering the information Reborn had given him about Britain's criminal underground which surprisingly was mostly focused on trade rather than combative power. Reborn had mentioned one of Britain's larger Famiglias being a trading partner of Italy's most powerful Famiglia and thus under their protection. Apparently, due to the British Empire covering a large part of the world for centuries Britain's mafia still had access to a lot of resources across the globe that weren't accessible to most others.

While he was still mulling that over Reborn asked casually. "I had wanted to ask before, but how old are you exactly?"

"I'm seventeen." Harry hesitated slightly. "Actually, what's the date?"

"August 14th."

"Ah, I'm eighteen then." Harry concluded easily. Age really didn't mean much to him anymore. What did the number matter if you had experienced more in those few years than others had in double the time.

That gave Reborn pause. His Sky was eighteen. He hadn't even hit his twenties yet. Harry had given enough clues for Reborn to be certain that he had been directly involved in some kind of conflict - _The-Man-Who-Conquered_ \- so, how old had he been when that had started? Reborn tried to buy himself some time to calm down. "When is your birthday?"

"July 31st." Harry answered with slight apprehension as he could feel Reborn's anger surge along their bond.

Reborn didn't like this. "A celebration is in order then? For the big eighteen?" Reborn inquired, still outwardly calm.

"Ah, not really. I was never really one for birthday celebrations. I'd usually just wait up until midnight of my birthday. So, I don't really need a party or anything of the sort. And in the Wizarding World the age of majority is seventeen, so that has passed." Harry tried to respond casually.

Reborn didn't like anything about this. It was becoming clearer with every conversation that his Sky didn't have anyone at home - no one to wait up with him for his birthday, no celebration, no family - and this confirmed all the other hints he had gotten from his Sky so far regarding his home life. Also, his Sky was young, too young - it made his Flames surge protectively, curling around their bond, obsessively scanning the room for threats - and already branded by conflict and strife and pain.

Reborn had very few facts to work with, but what he could put together was just enraging him further. His Sky had a bad home life, no family to speak of, and he couldn't have gotten to experience much of life while stuck in a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands as a teenager. Harry then had gotten involved in a conflict that had branded him a hero - a hero meant sacrifice. Unless Reborn was really misinterpreting anything - like that would ever happen - his Sky had been titled a savior, a conqueror before he had ever experienced love and life and family. And all this had resulted in a magical illness that made his Sky completely defenseless, while Harry's 'friends' were at least partially responsible for him ending up in the hands of the mafia.

Reborn was angry, utterly furious but he could see the apprehension in his Sky's expression, clearly uncertain what had Reborn so enraged - which did nothing to calm him down at all - so Reborn needed a distraction. He asked randomly."How does your pouch work?"

It took Harry a moment to follow that change in topic. He was amazed by the realization that he still felt no fear even in the face of Reborn's fury. Still, he was glad to have something different to talk about as he was uncertain just what had gotten Reborn so angry in the first place.

Harry answered carefully. "The space inside the pouch is extended. We call it Wizarding Space. It can be applied to pretty much everything, like bags or even entire houses."

Reborn appeared thoughtful. "Hm, the Corocos goon told me that they had been trying to go through your things but even though he knew you had a bag he couldn't seem to really remember any details about it."

Harry was getting the feeling that Reborn might have been keeping an internal list of all the things he had wanted to ask Harry at some point but didn't have the chance to ever since they met. That didn't bode well for Harry because there were a lot of questions he had thought to have cleverly avoided and that he would really prefer not to come up again anytime soon.

"Well, for one there are spells on my book bag that would have prevented them from finding the pouch in the first place. Additionally, there are some heavy-duty protective spells on the pouch. It has muggle-diversion, notice-me-not, anti-theft spells and so on. You shouldn't even be able to see much less touch it. Maybe the spells on the pouch are canceled out by the soul bond. I will have to read up on that."

Reborn considered that. Anti-theft and notice-me-not spells? The Wizarding World truly was about as creative with its naming as Harry had indicated before. Though those spells, especially the space extension one, could be incredibly useful. In the back of his mind he was already calculating where he could hide some more weapons around his various safe houses that no one would ever be able to find. Hm, or even better, maybe some form of panic room that no one could find except for him and Harry, for whenever Reborn had to leave his Sky on his own. So many possibilities. Reborn smirked gleefully.

Harry was watching his Guardian with a certain level of suspicion as he could see the increasing glee in his expression. Harry couldn't even begin to guess what kind of plans he was currently concocting. He quickly asked a question, lest this escalate further. He wasn't ready for his Sun to start planning world domination yet. By Merlin, Harry was demanding a vacation first.

"So you said, people are born with Flames but they still have to activate them. When do mafia children usually activate their Flames? What about civilians? Is it an automatic process or does it have to be induced in some way?" Harry stopped himself from rambling any more questions.

Reborn amusedly answered while getting up from the table and moving to the kitchen. "It is actually mostly impossible to just force Flame activation. There are of course ways though this kind of technology has only been used for fights within the Mafia and not to force Flame activation in civilians. The Famiglia that captured you developed a way to force activation based on this technology."

Harry didn't think that sounded at all reassuring. "What if I hadn't had Flames, activated or not?"

Reborn answered while preparing coffee and more tea for Harry. "They had a list of Flame potentials, although I am still not entirely sure how that list was compiled. Though based on what the Corocos goons told me, you were only the second one they tried this on, while the first actually joined the Corocos Famiglia. After proving that the technology worked they picked a potential Sky. If a civilian activates his Flames it is usually at a very young age mostly due to incredibly strong Flames or later in life in case of a life-threatening situation. They probably assumed that a civilian without activated Flames would be a weak Sky that they could force into Harmony with the Elements of their choice."

Harry felt incredibly irritated by this. The Potter luck strikes again.

Reborn could see his Sky's annoyance - he was adorable with his nose wrinkled in exasperation - and continued. "Mafia children usually activate their Flames some time during their childhood. However, the ages vary between toddler age and teens. Activation of Flames after they have reached sixteen is rather rare, though not impossible."

Reborn carried the freshly prepared drinks to the living area and after a moment's hesitation his Sky followed. Reborn thought it was truly charming that Harry still seemed to be slightly nervous about how to act around his Guardian. His Sky always seemed to be making sure that he truly was allowed to be close to Reborn, that he was welcome to curl into his side.

Like he did every evening his Sky initially settled onto the couch next to him sitting upright. Harry accepted his tea with a small smile and a fetching blush when Reborn smirked charmingly at him. Reborn knew by now that their position wouldn't last and that by the time Harry had finished his tea, he would probably be curled into Reborn's side. Reborn thought this little ritual of Harry's to be delightfully enchanting.

"So, at the Mafia Academy they start at different ages then and not like Hogwarts where everyone is sorted into classes based on age." Harry asked while pretending to concentrate on his tea in order to hide his blush.

Reborn was still grinning internally at his little Sky's delectable reactions. But he nodded and then asked another question he had been wondering about. "When you talk about magical education it sounds as though Hogwarts is the only option?"

Definitely a list in his Guardian's head, Harry concluded exasperatedly. He still answered. "Well, Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in Britain. There are other schools around Europe, though pretty much only one school per country."

"One school per country and a boarding school at that? Just how big are these schools?"

"Well, Hogwarts Castle is huge, but most of the castle isn't really in use. While I was a student, there were only a few hundred students at Hogwarts in total. The Britain's wizarding population really isn't all that big currently. Still in the first year of staying at Hogwarts everyone gets hopelessly lost on a regular basis because the castle is humongous."

Reborn considered whether to ask the obvious question here or whether to leave it like he had all the times before. He decided to give his Sky an opening to talk about it but he wouldn't push in case Harry avoided the question. "Not all that big currently?"

Harry paused. Here it was, an opening to mention the wars, to mention Voldemort and cowardly two-faced adults who hid behind a child and horcrux hunts and being so very desperately alone in the face of insurmountable obstacles that the only choice he had seen had been to martyr himself for a world that had never given him a reason to do so and would probably never try to pay him back in any way.

Harry tried to inconspicuously look over at Reborn. The inconspicuous part failed of course, but Reborn was calmly looking back at him, no pressure or demand to give information. Harry pretended to concentrate on his tea again as he flushed.

It was something that had always aggravated him in the Wizarding World. Somehow he had always been expected to reveal anything that happened to him, anything he heard, anything he had been told, even his innermost thoughts. Dumbledore and Hermione had been the worst offenders in this, as not even his dreams had been considered private. Harry's mind had been regularly ripped open for anyone's benefit. Everyone else was entitled to privacy. But not Harry bloody Potter.

He of course understood that with his connection to Voldemort, the information to be gained had been immense and during the war he would have been the first to reveal any visions, had even been hoping for a clue on what Voldemort might be up to. But it had still bothered him that it had been assumed that he was to reveal everything of himself to his friends, to the headmaster, to _Snape_ of all people, without anyone else being held to the same standard.

Once he had gotten over his anger, this certainly had helped drive home the fact that in the eyes of most people, even some of those that he trusted, he had never been Harry. He had always been Harry Potter, the Chosen One. It had crushed something in him.

Not to mention that after the Department of Mysteries and Sirius being killed, Harry barely trusted his own mind. Still, the Occlumency 'training' with Snape was one of the things he had not been able to forgive Dumbledore for. Everyone had known how much Snape hated him, how he had used his position of power over Harry ever since the first Potion's class and still Harry had been forced to let the man into the sanctity of his own thoughts, to give him even more power over Harry. It was unforgivable.

Looking into Snape's pensieve had been one of his best decisions in the time after Voldemort's resurrection and before the horcrux hunt. Not because of what he had seen - that had mostly been a hit to his own world view - but because Snape had stopped ripping into his mind on a regular basis. Harry hated that his inability to occlude at that point had been a factor in Sirius' death but he was also convinced that Snape's 'lessons' - torture or mind rape might be a better description - wouldn't have changed anything.

Then Snape had died in the war and Harry would never get to demand retribution for the man's actions against him.

Though this brought him back to the problem at hand. Reborn had been patiently waiting for him to sort out a response and Harry knew that if he wanted to stay away from this topic for a while longer, Reborn would let him.

And that was worth everything to Harry who was rarely if ever given a choice on what to reveal and what to keep to himself.

Maybe it would be best to get the topic of the war out there. He could still keep the discussion of his bloody savior status for later. There were so many topics to be covered just with the war, that it might be best to try and separate the conversations anyways.

Harry knew that though those might all be valid reasons, that it was mostly because he would like to avoid the savior topic at all costs. He was desperately afraid that something in Reborn's behavior towards him would change as soon as he was told about Harry's role in the war. Harry was damn certain that this fear was unfounded, but he couldn't help it. So much of his life - all of his life, even before his parents had died, when his family had been forced into hiding - had been ruled by that single bloody prophecy...

Harry drew in a breath, set his empty tea cup on the table and turned to face Reborn.

* * *

Reborn had watched his Sky struggle with himself while considering Reborn's question. There had been so much doubt, so much contained hope and resignation, so much pain flitting through his eyes during the internal struggle, that Reborn wanted to burn down the world around them in order to make sure that whoever had harmed Harry like this would burn with it.

He knew that there were difficult topics to be discussed between them. Harry's behavior, the clues he had given about the Wizarding World and his own life, had made it very clear that there were aspects of Harry's life that Reborn really wouldn't like. However, watching the doubt and pain flit across Harry's expression, Reborn realized that this might stretch a lot further, might be far worse than he had expected.

Even while mostly turned away from him, Reborn could still see the tension in Harry's shoulders, recognized the helplessness and resignation and anger in what little he could see of his Sky's expression.

When he saw Harry draw in a bracing breath before he turned around to fully face him - his Sky definitely wasn't a coward - Reborn focused his entire not inconsiderable attention on Harry.

* * *

Harry saw that Reborn had already drawn some conclusions just based on Harry's reaction to the initial question. He could almost feel his Sun's Flames saturate the room around them, warming him, guarding him. And Harry wanted to sigh in bliss at the feeling of _protectionsafetycareshelter_.

Almost automatically he curled his feet on up on the couch - Reborn immediately wrapping an arm around Harry - and let himself be tucked into Reborn's side. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before starting.

"In the last century there were three wizarding wars in Britain. Not like muggle wars, not between countries and there weren't always clearly defined factions. The wars itself were mostly fought between the so-called light side and dark side, yet again not based on actual magical orientation, but rather on the previously mentioned political definitions."

Reborn hadn't shown any reaction to this declaration, so Harry had been right to assume that he had put at least part of the picture together already based on the various clues Harry had given, consciously or not.

"For the first war the dark side gathered under the banner of a dark lord. It was a German wizard who swept across most of the European Magical World at the same time as the second World War was raging. He was defeated by Albus Dumbledore, who then became the hero of the light side and gained an immense amount of power. But instead of choosing any overt political positions he became the headmaster of Hogwarts."

Reborn could easily see the implications of a war hero as headmaster of the only wizarding school in Britain. Anyone who fought in a war had political interests or at least opinions and something of the war would always remain with them. It was unwise to put a war hero into a powerful position that went beyond politics, as even if only unconsciously he would continue to act on his beliefs and influence those around him.

Also, Reborn definitely sensed Harry's mixed emotions at the mention of this Dumbledore character. There was respect but it wasn't reverence of someone held personally in high esteem but rather like the recognition of a powerful authority figure. There was also a sense of disappointment and anger with the mention of that name.

And Harry had mentioned a dark lord specific to the second World War, did that mean there had been others afterwards? And who had 'defeated' those then? He really hoped his Sky's mention of being a savior did not come into play here - mostly because it would be quite stressful if he had to get rid of the entirety of magical Britain in revenge for putting his Sky in danger.

"As with any kind of conflict, the victors not only wrote the history books but also changed the political landscape to fit their ideals. The political climate became very favorable for the light side and resulted in the ban of most dark magic, forcing anyone with a dark core to hide their nature. The light side saw the terms light and dark as synonymous with good and evil and entirely ignored the balance of naturally occurring dark and light magic. They considered themselves the protectors of the weak and welcomed muggleborns. In contrast, the dark side not only believed themselves superior to muggleborns but also considered any non-muggleborns on the light side to be blood-traitors. There was no middle ground for either side."

For Reborn a lot of the various clues from before neatly fit into the puzzle with that explanation. Like the mention of the Ministry deciding to ban dark magic and old Magicks.

Harry continued. "As is the norm in a politically oppressive climate like that, about twentyfive years later another dark lord rose to power in Britain and anyone pureblood, naturally dark and even most neutrals rallied behind him. As the light side prides itself to be entirely muggle-friendly in order to make muggleborns feel more comfortable they did not have a recognized lord or anything of the sort. Rather they gathered under the unofficial banner of the last war's hero, Albus Dumbledore."

Reborn listened attentively to his Sky's explanation. His instincts were telling him that this was essential. He could feel Harry's agitation at the description and tightened the arm around his Sky even further.

"Another increasingly intense war started and decimated Britain's wizarding population as well as further splitting the political sides of the war. When the Dark Lord was eliminated the light side refused to learn from their mistakes after the last war, where political and societal oppression had resulted in another war. Instead they escalated the pro-light sentiment and politics to the point where they removed most wizarding holidays and integrated muggle ones instead and even started sorting magical creatures into light and dark categories."

The Dark Lord was 'eliminated', not 'defeated' like the last one? Reborn was missing something here. He just didn't have enough information but he would leave it for now. For one Harry was sharing an incredible amount of information and also he could feel Harry getting increasingly agitated the longer the story went on. His Sky's parents had died when he was young, and based on Reborn's calculation this might actually fit with the dates. Had they died in the second war? What did that mean for Harry's introduction into the Wizarding World?

"This continued for years and at this point Dumbledore had been elevated into several powerful political positions in addition to his headmaster status. Accordingly, the more powerful politicians, even those claiming to be on the light side, started to feel threatened by him. With that the Ministry was brought into the conflict as a defined third faction. Additionally, except for the Minister himself none of the influential Ministry positions are based on elections. Thus most Ministry employees are mainly interested in personal gain, be it in the form of money or power."

Reborn knew very well how easy anyone without additional incentive to keep voters happy was to bribe. It was something the mafia regularly exploited when dealing with politics. However, just how far behind was the British Wizarding World to have a Ministry that still _consisted_ of non-electable politicians?

"At this point the Ministry turned into a cesspool of bribes and personal agendas. The main legislative and judiciary body of the Wizarding World is the Wizengamot which is mostly made up of hereditary seats from old pureblood families. Thus a weird equilibrium developed with a generally light sentiment and with the main political body made up of people who were mostly dark or neutral minded. Politics pretty much stagnated for several years."

"Three years ago the rift between the fractions escalated again. Another war started under the banner of a dark lord while Albus Dumbledore led the opposing side. The third war started under almost exactly the same premises as the last one, though this time there was little actual fighting involved. This war was mostly directed by politics, partially by press fear mongering and largely by terror attacks on muggles and guerilla warfare within the Wizarding World. It destroyed much of Britain's remaining Magical World and the wizarding population was further decimated. The war ended just a few months ago. We are still picking up the pieces."

Reborn took a moment to work through the provided information, marveling at the described idiocy. Three wars because people were sheep, because no one was willing to learn from history's mistakes, because people were only concerned with their personal agendas. He had noticed that there was no mention of how exactly the war had ended and for once Reborn actually briefly struggled with himself before asking carefully. "What happened to the last dark lord?"

Harry considered how to answer this question. Though why not just tell his Sun. Harry would not yet mention prophecies or the horcrux hunt - or _martyring_ himself - but he could tell Reborn about this at least.

"I killed him." Harry was blindsided by the impact these few words had on his own mind. It was the first time Harry had said it out loud, the first time he had allowed himself to think these exact words. Not 'I defeated him' or 'I vanquished him' or as the Wizarding World had taken to politely refer to it 'I ended the war'.

He had killed the Dark Lord. Voldemort was gone. And Harry was still alive.

Harry felt something in his chest expand painfully, making it hard to breathe, his heart desperately thudding through the ache. And then he was drowning beneath a wave of desperation and relief and anguish.

* * *

Reborn had almost wanted to recoil at the statement. Not because of the fact that his Sky had killed someone - he really couldn't give less of a shit about that - but because of Harry's tone. Complete loathing - of the Dark Lord, of himself, of being forced into his role. Complete and utter loathing.

He could feel his Sky's emotions getting increasingly tumultuous, could feel anguish and anger through their bond. And suddenly Harry's Flames were desperately reaching for him along their bond as though pleading for an anchor, for security, for acceptance.

Reborn immediately reached for his Sky. With the direct contact he could feel the emotions along their bond even clearer and the helplessness, loneliness, desperation, anguish, resentment that hit him… Without much thought he dragged his little Sky into his lap, settled him against his chest with Harry's head tucked into the crook of Reborn's neck and curled around him as much as he could. He fed his Sun Flames into the bond while also saturating the room around them.

The anguish in Harry's Flames increased, before something seemed to release.

Reborn just tightened his hold on Harry as he felt his shoulder grow wet, not saying a word while trying to soothe his Sky's anguished Flames with his own.

The British Wizarding World was done. Reborn would personally see to the end of anyone he deemed even remotely responsible for his Sky's pain.

* * *

 **A/N:** There be progress!

Ok, I'm missing some information for the next chapters... oh man, this is giving so much away... :) Can someone tell me how the British and the Italian educational systems including universities work? I'm assuming they are different from the German and the American systems. Some pointers would be great.

Also, a reviewer let me know that they are really irritated by me responding to reviews in the chapters. As the reactions to my responses and the discussions around them actually help me with my writing, I do not intend to stop including the responses unless this is a very common opinion. Let me know.

Chapter 7 review responses:

You guys are amazing as usual! Thanks for all the Guardian suggestions, though I am still not giving anything away :) To everyone asking about the KHR timeline, it will probably become clear in the next chapter.

 **To Arleria:** Thank you for your review! It will still take a while until Teddy plays a role in this story, so I can't really tell you yet what the dynamic between Harry and Reborn will be at that point. I don't even know myself yet :)

 **To Wicken25:** Thanks for reviewing! Oh, there will definitely be reactions to Reborn having a Sky with and without actually meeting Harry :)

 **To PetiteEmperor4:** Thanks for your review! Reborn getting jealous of another harmonized Guardian? Not so much. Of anyone else (including _potential_ Guardians) stealing Harry's attention? Oh, definitely :)

 **To NarutoSpardaUzumaki:** Thanks for your review! I'm not planning on anything graphic happening in this story and it will be quite a while until anything happens at all. Should this change at any point for whatever reason, I will give fair warning.

 **To Guest#5:** Thanks for your extensive review! I'm glad you like the story so much. I will keep the HP canon timeline but there will be some changes in character development with Harry's interest in wizarding culture being one example. Harry is at least slightly OOC and most of his researching was done after the war when he had some time to himself to work through various issues. I like Burn me with Fire as well :)

 **To donnaficfan:** Thank you for the review! I love pretty much anything from Araceil, thanks for the suggestions :) Shamal is going to show up at some point though it will still be a while until then.

 **To writer200z:** Thanks for reviewing! Reborn probably won't be leaving Harry's side anytime soon, so he will be there for the confrontations. As for the Weasleys and the teachers Reborn is going to be split between ripping into them (because most adults have screwed Harry over as well) and getting them on his side to get his revenge on the worst offenders. Poppy will happily come along for the ride, glad that someone is finally helping her with keeping Harry safe :)


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: Don't own. Continues pretty much immediately after the last chapter.

* * *

 _End of last chapter:_

 _Reborn just tightened his hold on Harry as he felt his shoulder grow wet, not saying a word while trying to soothe his Sky's anguished Flames with his own._

 _The British Wizarding World was done. Reborn would personally see to the end of anyone he deemed even remotely responsible for his Sky's pain._

* * *

Chapter 9

Reborn remained silently focused on Harry. Even though his Sky was mostly calm again - his Flames no longer desperately latching onto Reborn for support - Harry had not yet lifted his head from Reborn's shoulder. Not like Reborn was going to complain about their position anytime soon.

Now that Harry was calm, Reborn could enjoy finally having Harry in his lap, curled against his chest, entirely ensconced in Reborn's presence - as safe as his little Sky could possibly be.

Harry had told him about about his personal story and had yet to ask for anything in return. Reborn felt something in his chest almost purr at the show of confidence and trust. Their closeness was also helping Reborn ignore the fact that his Sky had broken down at all. Because Reborn was very capable of reading between the lines.

There had been three wars in Wizarding Britain, three wars that had spanned three generations. The problems that had been the reason for all three wars had been passed on from generation to generation. And it had somehow led to his Sky getting involved, turned his Sky into a hero as a teenager. It was unforgivable. This Dumbledore character had been a figure head in all three wars, so it was safe to assume that he had been the most powerful figure in Harry's life. He was one of the people Reborn was going to hold responsible for at least some of his Sky's pain.

But it was the desperate loneliness, the paralyzing helplessness that Reborn had felt along their bond that had him in a state of deadly fury. And Harry had even specified that this last war had not gone all out. Why had a teenager felt so very desperately, helplessly alone in a war that had been fought via politics and guerilla warfare? Where had the adults been, the ones who were responsible for dragging the baggage from the last wars along with them?

Reborn felt his anger spike again. His Sun Flames were still saturating the room around them - Reborn kept them carefully contained to this room, lest someone else detected the outpouring of his Flames - and they pulsed with his fury.

He felt his Sky move slightly to rest his head on Reborn's shoulder instead of having it tucked against Reborn's neck. Reborn was kind enough - only ever kind to Harry - not to force him into facing Reborn immediately and just reacted by tightening his arms around Harry.

* * *

Harry stubbornly kept his face tucked against his Sun's throat. He was not going to move. Ever.

He was trying to stay calm as he considered his options. It was incredible how much of a difference it made to talk to someone about the war. To have someone listen, not judging. He knew his breakdown had been a long time coming and strangely he did not really feel embarrassed. That might change as soon as he regained the capacity of feeling anything beyond bone deep relief. Harry was resolutely ignoring the fact that he was currently settled in Reborn's lap and how incredibly good it felt to be held by someone while he fell apart.

Harry knew that he had not given himself the chance before to process everything that had happened in the past year. The end of the war, the deaths, the betrayals, the switching loyalties, the accusations, the loss of trust. And there had been no one at his side to support him, to help him grieve, to comfort him as he fell apart. And right now, with Reborn curled around him - body and Flame - Harry felt safe and sheltered and _so warm_. He was not moving, Harry concluded stubbornly. He was going to stay like this forever and Reborn would just have to deal with it.

Still, Harry knew that in order to complete his account, to explain how the wars were relevant in Harry's life specifically, he would have to tell Reborn about what he had meant by _Savior_.

Harry had a ridiculous number of titles for someone his age. Some old, some new, some temporary, some already past. His current titles referred to very distinct parts of his personal history. _The-Man-Who-Conquered_ , the one who killed the Dark Lord. Harry had already narrated that bit to his Guardian. A _hero_ , he had earned that title by martyring himself for an entire world. But there was no way he was explaining that right now, because it would require an explanation of horcruxes - which would have to include Voldemort's personal history - before he could even get started on explaining why he had been convinced that walking to his death was the _only_ way. Harry was so not willing to get into that today. The _Savior of the Wizarding World_ , the Chosen One proclaimed by a prophecy. That would actually be comparably easy to explain and it should be enough information to tide Reborn over until tomorrow at least.

Harry knew it was unavoidable to explain being the Savior, if only to protect the general British wizarding population from their own idiocy and ignorance when they would inevitably mob Harry at some point. He didn't think his Sun would take well to Harry being crowded, with or without an explanation. But if he knew what was going on Reborn might be content with leaving the masses crippled instead of outright incinerating them.

That was something to be considered as well. Due to Omerta Reborn would have to keep his Flames hidden in the Wizarding World which would give his Sun less of an advantage. The thought of Reborn being at an increased risk because he could not use all of his strength - irrespective of whether he would actually need his Flames to deal with any self-glorifying idiots or not - was unacceptable. However, they could not just ignore Omerta and being allowed to tell your bonded about a fancy supernatural power didn't equate with revealing it to an entire world.

On the other hand the Wizarding World's sheeple would never even consider there being muggles with powers beyond magic. They would probably be eager to explain any Flame displays on Reborn's side away as magic. Now there was a thought. Harry would have to read up on whether there were any magical gifts that might be similar enough to Flames to explain their presence to wizards. As multifaceted as magic was, there should be something.

Though he was getting ahead of himself.

Now that the topic of the war was already out there Harry was surprised at how little he was bothered by the thought of telling Reborn about being the bloody Savior since birth. Actually, he wouldn't be surprised if Reborn got a good laugh out of that cliché plot element.

Harry's casual attitude towards the Savior topic right now, was probably a result of him already having exhausted his capacity for dramatic reactions for today. But even if that was the case, it would still be easier to tell Reborn this part of his story now. It was something that Reborn had to know before they came anywhere near the Wizarding World and after having explained the war talking about the whole savior business didn't seem so bad because he wouldn't have to explain the details.

With his decision made, Harry refocused his current situation. His Guardian was still silently giving comfort and Harry was hit by another wave of desperate gratitude for having found Reborn, his Sun. Harry took a bracing breath and slightly moved his head so his face was no longer tucked against Reborn's throat, though still resting on his Guardian's shoulder. Reborn immediately tightened his arms around him as though to make sure Harry would remain in his lap. Harry would gladly take the excuse for staying in this position, though there was no way he was moving unless he was specifically asked to do so. He could be embarrassed about their position tomorrow, but right now he was going to absorb as much warmth and comfort from his Guardian as he possibly could.

Harry realized that Reborn was entirely focused on him, clearly aware that there was another part of the explanation coming.

Just get it over with. "Before I was born, there was a prophecy proclaiming the birth of the Dark Lord's vanquisher, the criteria of which fit me perfectly. The thing with prophecies is that they only have power if someone believes in them. Lucky me, the leaders of both sides of the war believed in this prophecy and also believed it to refer to me. Thus my role in the war was set."

Reborn had actually started in incredulousness. A prophecy? Like with the oracles in Greek mythology? Or any half-decent science fiction novel? If it weren't his Sky telling the story and if Reborn hadn't been able to feel the emotions pulse along their bond he might have thought this to be some kind of joke.

Harry continued. "Me being the assumed Savior led to my parents being killed while I was still a toddler. I grew up without any knowledge of magic and when I received the Hogwarts letter I was fascinated by the thought of this new wondrous and magical world. The marvel didn't last long. Being famous in a world you know nothing about is already daunting enough. Random strangers knew more about my life, my parents, my history, my role in society than I myself did. To my eleven year old self, it was terrifying."

"School wasn't the greatest time for me either due to everyone being convinced they _knew_ me and then being offended if reality did not fit their expectations. But it got far worse when the war started, when it became clear that most people believed it to be my duty to take care of the Dark Lord despite me still being in my teens at that point. The adults had gotten so used to the thought that there was someone else who would take care of their problem, most forgot that I was still a teenager. They didn't even consider that they might be able to do anything themselves instead of taking cover behind a child. Most people hid themselves away when the war escalated."

Reborn was seething while his Sky spoke monotonously, clearly trying to get through this explanation without letting the feelings of desperation overtake him again.

"In the end, the war was mainly fought by a handful of children, while the adults kept scolding us about being too young to fight but still expecting me specifically to do my fucking _duty_."

Reborn carefully kept his anger tucked away in the center of his Flames. He could feel the stillness of his Sun Flames still saturating the room as they tried to keep from lashing out. This was far worse than Reborn had expected. He had suspected that his Sky had been forced into the conflict in some way and also that the people around him might not have been as supportive as they should have been, but this went far beyond that.

Also, if Harry had been recognized as the Savior from birth that meant that the Dark Lord would have specifically and continuously targeted him. This certainly explained Harry's vehement denial of ever being cannon fodder again.

Harry stated unemotionally. "It was me or him in the end. I was the one left standing."

Reborn swallowed as he kept his Sky tucked in close, protected and warm, wrapped in Reborn's presence.

There was silence between them as Reborn's Flames communicated clearly what he wasn't saying out loud. 'You won and I don't care how you got there. No one will ever get to you again. I will destroy anyone who dares trying to force you, harm you, _touch_ you.'

Harry suppressed a tremulously relieved sigh and let himself curl even further into Reborn, basking in the feeling of comfort and warmth.

After a while spent in comfortable silence Harry couldn't help but ask a question. He knew it was just his experiences with the double standards of the Wizarding World as well as Dumbledore's 'always-a-second-chance' policy, that made him ask but he still couldn't help wanting reassurance. "You don't mind that I have killed."

Despite the infuriating question, Reborn was reassured at there being no actual questionmark included in that statement. He still confirmed. "No. I would not condemn you for doing something to protect yourself in a war that I do for a living."

Reborn thought it was only fair to talk about being a hitman now. They had clearly moved past the stage where they just talked about random topics in order to get to know each other.

He knew how essential their conversations of the last few days had been in order to get to know each other. An eighteen year old war veteran and a twenty-seven year old professional hitman. Trust did not come easily to people like them. Still, as much as he had enjoyed the last few days spent with his Sky focused entirely on him, talking and discussing, Reborn was looking forward to finding out as much about his Sky and his previous life as he could.

There was a slightly tremulous breath against his throat and Reborn felt the slight tension that had gathered in his Sky's form vanish.

Harry commented pleasantly. "No double standards, that's certainly refreshing."

"Isn't it just?" Reborn responded drolly.

* * *

Reborn considered the current development of their dynamic. Harry had talked about a war, about decimated populations and terror and guerilla warfare. He had also been mostly objective regarding all factions of the wars, trying to avoid blanket terms.

Or maybe it was just that Harry seemed to be completely fed up with the entirety of the Wizarding World, no matter their respective sides.

Still, his Sky had made it clear that he would not assign a moral label to Reborn and he was getting the impression that Harry would be just as willing to leave his side as Reborn himself was. At that thought, his Flames curled lazily in possessive contentment, like a cat lounging in the sun.

Still, Reborn had never thought that he was going to have to explain his life style to a civilian no matter how uncommonly used to violence and death. But it was inevitable that they would come in contact with each other's worlds and Reborn would damn well reciprocate the sharing information about his life. His Sky clearly sensed Reborn's intention to talk and focused on him entirely.

Reborn began. "I already told you about how the Mafia World is mainly designed around Famiglias and that all the powerful Famiglias are based around Flames to the point where anyone with active Flames is pulled into the mafia, by force or coercion. While the background and history of each Famiglia differs, at this point most Mafia Famiglias have turned towards crime and violence."

"Controversely, the Mafia World is actually better governed than one would expect simply due to a few very strictly enforced laws. The law of the mafia is enforced by the Vindice who are a neutral entity within the mafia. Even though no one really knows much about them, they are very powerful and thus their rules are unquestionably accepted. The laws enforced by the Vindice also ensure a certain standard even in the criminal underworld. They don't tolerate unprovoked massacres of rival Famiglias and thereby prevent powerful Famiglias from simply obliterating their competition. On the other hand, the Vindice do not get involved in day to day mafia business and are only rarely seen unless their laws are broken."

"Of course the mafia is not the only kind of organized crime, not even in Italy, and non-mafia crime is just as common. As the Vindice do not get involved with non-mafia crime, the more atrocious businesses are found there. But just out of self-interest the Mafia World makes sure that outsiders do not get too powerful and thereby automatically also put a limit on the level of crime that can be organized by non-mafia. If the mafia interferes with non-mafia crime it is generally preferred to not send in Flame users at all. Only in really harsh cases do Flame users get involved since no one from the other side will walk away alive to tell the tale anyways. Even in this case the Vindice will only get involved if Omerta is broken."

Harry was kind of surprised. When including the information Reborn had given him before, the Mafia World actually seemed to be based around a struggle for economic power rather than the criminal cesspool he had imagined. A deadly and illegal economical struggle for sure, but still far less repulsive or gruesome than he had thought.

Reborn briefly considered just how clear he should be about his occupation, before deciding that his Sky's trust was worth too much to risk it by even slightly distorting the truth. He did not yet need to tell Harry everything but he would not intentionally mislead his Sky's perception of Reborn's involvement in the Mafia World.

"Omerta is the most harshly upheld law in the Mafia World and thus most Flame active mafia members tend to avoid civilians. As a hitman with Flames, I only ever take hits in the mafia and as I am unaffiliated I can accept or deny any contracts offered to me. The criteria for contracts I will accept are well established as I for example unreservedly refuse hits on children, be they trained assassins or not. If I am lied to about the specifics of any job, I am known for turning around and killing my contractors rather than finishing the hit. I also only do clean jobs meaning no torture or kidnapping. At this point the World's Greatest Hitman is feared enough that anyone captured by me will tell me what I want to know anyways, no torture needed. I rarely if ever do something like an extraction because those tend to get messy."

There. That was the harshest part of the explanation. But so far his Sky had not moved away from him in the slightest, hadn't flinched or even winced.

He continued. "Information gathering is the one thing I do continuously with or without there being a contract involved. Though I don't usually do information brokering as it is too boring for my tastes, the one time I did was when I found you half-naked and tied to a chair, so I might have to change my stance on that."

Ah, how he had missed his Sky's delectable blush. He could actually feel the heat of the blush against his shoulder. Reborn tightened his arms around his Sky and continued while smirking cheerfully.

"Still, I tend to know more about any given situation than anyone else in the room and I never go into a situation without sufficient, independently provided information.I have a very extensive network supplying me with detailed information on anything relevant, so I usually know about a job before it is even offered."

Now came the personal part. "Due to their strength my Flames activated very early and thus I got involved in the mafia when I was still pretty young. Still, I hid quite well and by the time someone found me I had already integrated into the criminal underground. I pretty much grew up in the criminal underworld but without the guidance of a Famiglia or a tutor. Thus my view on organized crime and anything included in it might be slightly skewed when compared to most anyone else. The man who finally identified me as Flame active tutored me for years afterwards."

Harry kept his questions to himself for now. How young was early? And, grew up where? What happened to the tutor? What about Reborn's family?

"Being a hitman and an unaffiliated one at that means that I can accept or refuse any and all contracts on offer. It gives me an unusual amount of freedom for someone of my strength. From a certain level of Flame strength upwards anyone is pulled into some kind of Famiglia affiliation even if only in the form of a loose association. Me being as strong as I am gives me an additional level of freedom. I am not only unaffiliated but the less powerful Famiglias wouldn't dare mess with me and the stronger Famiglias prefer not to get on my bad side especially as they hope they might be able to pull me into their own Famiglia by Harmonization at some point. Though the main reason for me being left alone is that due to my reputation people aren't certain that an assassin would actually succeed in killing me. Anyone putting out a hit on me would risk me surviving and turning into an enemy instead."

"A few years back, I was becoming too strong and too well known for the powerful Famiglias to accept me as a free agent and thus a potential asset to their enemies. They would have gotten rid of me if they had been able to find me, so I vanished from the Mafia World for a while. While I was gone from I had my past including my name erased in order to prevent anyone tracking me through my real name."

Harry was looking up at him, still with his head on Reborn's shoulder. There was a question in his eyes, clearly wanting to know but not wanting to ask in case his Guardian didn't want to tell him. "My name was Renato Sinclair."

Reborn paused only briefly after saying his real name out loud for the first time in a long while before continuing. "After I returned with a new name I quickly gained a reputation. Of course anyone with half a brain knows that I must have had a past before I suddenly appeared under the name Reborn and there are some people in the Italian Mafia World who knew me before the name change. But generally my past cannot be traced back to me. Soon after I returned I claimed the title of the strongest Sun and of the World's Greatest Hitman. Now, no one will just mess with me simply because they don't like how powerful I am. At this point there is no one who would dare accept a hit on me or even anyone stupid enough to put one out on me."

Reborn knew he had given out a lot of information. About the mafia, himself, his past, even his name and his life. He trusted that Harry would not react too negatively to the revelations about the life of a hitman. Harry was still resting against his chest - Reborn would not be moving from this position unless he was forced to - and hadn't distanced himself from Reborn in the slightest which was definitely calming his Flames despite the difficult topic.

Then Harry tilted his head and focused on him with slightly widened green eyes. "Do you want me to call you Reborn or can I call you Ren?"

That definitely hadn't been the question Reborn had expected at this point and he took a moment to consider it. He actually liked the thought of his Sky calling him by his real name. In the abbreviated form no one would be able to directly link it to his past as it could even be taken as an abbreviation of Reborn. No one but Harry and Reborn would know.

"Ren is fine." Reborn responded finally.

"Ren then." Harry concluded with obvious satisfaction, clearly pleased.

Reborn tightened his arms around his Sky at that. Harry now certainly knew more about Reborn than anyone else alive. Having his Sky be the only one to call him by his true name was fitting and Reborn definitely liked the intimacy of it.

Harry was pleased. He liked having a name to call his Sun that no one else would be using but him. A sign of trust and confidence, something just between them. He didn't think he would stop calling his Guardian 'Reborn' completely or even mostly. But being allowed to call him by his real name, by a name no one else knew or was permitted to use was definitely something he enjoyed. He felt his joint magic and Flames curl contently.

* * *

Reborn had prepared a quick dinner when Harry's stomach reminded them that it was already evening. They settled at the dinner table though this time Reborn sat right next to his Sky and not opposite him as usual. Reborn was not going to let his Sky leave his immediate presence anytime soon.

While they started on the food, Reborn contemplated a lighter topic. "I had been meaning to ask. The story of the basilisk and the phoenix?"

Harry paused. "Well, you are going to like the full story even less than the abbreviated version."

There was a drawn out sigh from his Sun. Harry actually had to grin a bit. Reborn had no idea what he was in for.

But Harry had always thought that the adventure with the basilisk was one of his more fun to tell stories. Well, if you left out Harry's age, the fact that an entire school had been threatened, that several children had almost died, that the teachers who were tasked with protecting them had been entirely useless or unwilling to help... Actually, maybe the story wasn't that fun to tell after all. On the other hand, which of his stories was?

Still, Harry knew that this topic was preferable to most others that could have been suggested at this point, so Harry started on the story of his second year. He carefully edited out most of the more delicate bits, especially his age and how very close he had been to dying at the end. Also, no way was he mentioning soul fragments right now. They had had enough heavy topics for one day. He finished with telling how Fawkes had carried them out of the tunnels.

There was a moment of silence as Reborn considered the story. "Ok. I'm getting the feeling, there is something you are leaving out of the story. Something that I will definitely not like."

"Well." Harry hesitated. "This was during my second year at Hogwarts. I was twelve at the time."

Reborn forced himself to keep eating casually. Oh, he would definitely be having words with anyone even remotely responsible for this specific fuck up in his Sky's life. Reborn was well aware that his Sky had left out a lot of the more controversial parts of the story. There had been no mention of teachers helping out, which collectively put them on The List. He certainly hoped that this adventure was a singular occurrence in Harry's life, though considering what he knew about his Sky so far, he was getting the feeling that might be just wishful thinking on his part.

* * *

Like every evening they moved back to the couch after dinner and this time Reborn had just ignored Harry's little ritual of initially pretending to sit properly and away from Reborn. Instead Reborn had just dragged his Sky in close. Harry had went without protest and was now resting against him, tucked into Reborn's side.

Reborn was still considering what he had heard and was debating whether he should just ignore the implications and then decided to hell with it. He had already kept quiet about the war and the savior business. This was about school - a civilian school, magic or not - about a place where children should be protected.

Reborn asked casually. "So, just to get this straight. You were in school with numerous people who were far better qualified than you to take care of this, like teachers or five years of older students. And the only help you got against a deadly mythical creature was _another_ mythical creature?"

Harry hesitated. For future reference, second year was not one of the fun to tell stories after all. "Well, yes. It was just me and Fawkes against the basilisk. Fawkes was actually - "

There was a brilliant burst of red fire, a trill and suddenly Harry was crowded behind Reborn on the other side of the room. Harry hadn't even realized they had moved until after they had crossed the room. Now, his Guardian's back was blocking Harry's sight of the rest of the room. Harry took a brief moment to bask in the feeling of complete and utter safety and protection that radiated from his Sun before he shook himself. He tried to shift slightly to the side to see better but Reborn fluently moved with him, easily blocking his sight. There were no further noises in the room and Reborn remained entirely focused forwards. So, Harry lifted up on his toes - curiosity was definitely his greatest weakness - and could see what appeared to a burning pile of ash on the coffee table. Reborn still had a gun pointed at the ash, the moving ash… wait, moving?

Harry started when he realized what had happened. "Fawkes!" He tried to squeeze past Reborn but he might as well have tried to push aside a mountain. "Ren, that's Fawkes. That's the phoenix."

Reborn paused for a moment before he let Harry pass into the room as his Sky obviously knew what was going on. He ignored the pleased purring of his Flames at the being called by his real name. He moved in close to his Sky while watching dubiously as Harry knelt next to the coffee table.

A head poked its way out of the pile of ash. Huh. That was different. There was a tiny bird in the ash. Magic sure was bizarre. He was still not entirely sold on the immortal burning bird thing to be honest.

When the burning bird had appeared in front of him without any warning, it had simply been a reflex to shoot. He had instinctively assumed the fire surrounding the bird to be Flames, Flames not formed by him or his Sky, which automatically translated into an enemy in Reborn's flat, meaning in the immediate presence of his still not entirely recovered Sky.

Reborn had simply reacted. He was still on a hair trigger temper due to the revelations of the day, due to having to keep his deadly fury locked within his Flames throughout their discussion. It had been a point blank shot augmented by his Sun Flames in a room saturated with his Flames. Still, he could have sworn that the shot hadn't actually connected.

Harry heard Reborn move in close behind him, obviously still skeptical, but Harry was focused on the reborn - _giggle_ \- phoenix in front of him. Harry was overjoyed to see Fawkes. Even though the phoenix had been bound to Dumbledore, ever since the Chamber of Secrets Harry had always associated Fawkes with loyalty and support.

"Hello Fawkes." Harry said softly. The phoenix chick turned in his direction and chirped at him. Harry had to smile at that.

"How did you know where I was?" He immediately reconsidered the question. "You found me because I said your name."

Fawkes chirped again and Harry took that as confirmation. "I have missed you and I am so glad to see you again. I haven't seen you since Dumbledore's funeral. How have you been?"

The phoenix chirped at him again and he carefully reached out a finger to run it over Fawkes tiny head. He felt a strong pulse of magic from the phoenix at the contact. He continued his light petting through the clearly pleased trills of the creature. Though he would have liked to lift Fawkes, Dumbledore had mentioned at some point that it was more comfortable for a recently reborn phoenix to settle in his own ashes.

Behind him, Reborn had settled down on the couch again and was watching Harry carefully.

Harry turned to Reborn. "Is it okay if I take one of your bowls for Fawkes to settle in for the next few days while he recuperates?"

Harry was already moving towards the kitchen before he finished the question, but he still heard Reborn's confirmation.

Though being gone Harry missed the piercing look Fawkes immediately sent towards Reborn, clearly assessing him. It only took a few moments before Fawkes moved his stare away, apparently approving of the Sun user's presence. Reborn was aggravated by how weighty the bird's stare had felt, by how much this had felt as though Reborn couldn't afford to be found wanting. On the other hand, it was an immortal creature, who knows how old exactly, so maybe Reborn would cut himself some slack in this.

Harry returned a moment later with a flat bowl that he set down next to the phoenix. Using a soft dish towel he carefully cupped his hands around the little phoenix and most of the ash and transferred all of it to the bowl. It only took him a moment to transfer the rest of the ash. Fawkes seemed to be drifting towards sleep already by the time he was finished.

Done with his task, Harry automatically settled next to Reborn again who immediately dragged him close, obviously not entirely trusting the entire situation yet - that was definitely the only reason Harry was not protesting against almost being settled in Reborn's lap again, really.

Reborn had listened to his Sky speak softly to the mythical bird. It was clearly a reunion of comrades if not friends. Reborn's head was circling with the revelation that there had been a funeral for Dumbledore at all, meaning the man was apparently dead. Which meant that one of the people Reborn would have really liked to sit down with in order to 'discuss' his role in Harry's life was not available anymore. Reborn certainly hoped that wasn't going to be a trend.

His Sky clearly felt the unasked question and again provided the information without Reborn having to ask. "Fawkes was Dumbledore's phoenix. I don't know how or when exactly they met, but they were companions. For me Fawkes has been a symbol of support, as in some of the situations where no one else was available or willing to help me, he was there. He is a truly loyal friend."

There had been more than one situation where his Sky had been so very alone that a mythical creature was his only support? Reborn was starting to loathe the Wizarding World and all its inhabitants. Be it due to their actions or their inactions, but it was starting to look like Harry hadn't had any sort of reliable support throughout his life.

Reborn tucked his Sky in closer as they continuted to watch the chick sleep. It was strangely soothing to listen to the trills the little phoenix seemed to give with each exhale.

* * *

 **A/N:** I really don't like this chapter as it just wouldn't turn out the way I wanted it to… Still, there be progress and in the next chapter there should finally be more characters appearing beyond Harry, Reborn and now Fawkes.

Regarding the KHR time line, it should be pretty obvious now when this takes place. Just to warn you though, I am going to mess around with the KHR time line and with the KHR-verse in order to make my story work (like Reborn erasing his past before becoming an arcobaleno). Additionally, I don't know nearly as much about KHR as I know about HP, so if anyone notices something that goes directly against KHR facts or trivia please let me know.

Also, some people pointed out that Harry knows too much about the WW which is definitely true. However, even though I am going to keep the HP time line intact, the Harry in this story is going to be slightly OOC as I don't think my story would be plausible otherwise. Him being interested in the political background of the war he is forced to fight in is part of that.

Chapter 8 review responses:

Wow, thanks so much for all your reviews and feedback! You guys are amazing! Also, thanks to Kanikan, Hetomi, saku hyuuga, KyuubiChild717, randomasrainbows, Guest dragon and especially GiuliaZe, and Tsume Yuki for the information on the Italian and the British school systems.

 **To zeicherinaga:** Thanks for your review! Teddy is going to show up at some point, though it will still take a while until I get there.

 **To writer2000z:** Thank you for your review! You are right, there is no way that Reborn is going to just forget about the Dursleys. He will definitely be making them regret everything :)

 **To Armed Truth:** Thanks for reviewing! Harry's treatment started almost three months after the final battle. Though Quirrel will be mentioned at some point, Voldemort is far more relevant to Harry's breakdown as he didn't have time to work through that death yet. Thanks also for the story recommendation, those are always welcome :)

 **To EmptySurface:** Thanks for your review! And for your suggestion of using the response button... which I have been using to respond to reviews unless I think they are directly relevant to the story or would interest more of you guys :) Hopefully this chapter and the A/N above will answer your other questions.

 **To Four-eyes-girl:** Thanks for reviewing! To answer your questions in order: There will be other Guardians but they will not be as close to Harry as Reborn. Definitely romantic love for both of them (I will get there). H &R will not be having much to do with Harry's life anymore. Teddy will appear at some point though not for quite some time.

 **To Guest#8:** Thank you for your review! You are right about this Harry being grey instead of light and that is definitely not something others know about.


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Don't own. Continues almost right after last chapter but there will be some minimal time skips.

* * *

Chapter 10

Reborn woke up on the couch. They had not actually made it back to the bed yesterday after the appearance of the phoenix. Harry had been dozing while resting mostly against him and Reborn had not felt like rousing him again at all, so he had rearranged them without any protest from his Sky. They had fallen asleep on the couch listening to the mythical bird trill soothingly in his sleep.

He decided they should do this more often as he realized that while he was lying down on the couch, his little Sky was curled up entirely on top of him, face tucked into Reborn's neck. Yeah, definitely something to repeat. Reborn grinned slightly while watching the sunlight draw patterns on the ceiling.

He was glad they had been able to relax after the disquieting revelations and confessions of the day. And the appearance of a magical creature. Speaking of which. Reborn slightly turned his head towards the coffee table and was met by a steady stare. Hm, there was a little magical fire bird staring at him. Always something new with his Sky. Harry had certainly been right when he said that boredom was not something Reborn would have to worry about in the near future.

Even though the phoenix was staring at him, Reborn didn't get the same weighted feeling as yesterday which had certainly felt like an appraisal. There was clear curiosity in that gaze and when the phoenix chirped at him Reborn actually couldn't help but smile slightly. He was feeling incredible contentment flowing through him at the entire situation he found himself in. The best part of the situation was actually starting to move on top of him, pressing his face further into Reborn's neck to block out the sun.

Just to make sure that his little Sky did not jump off as soon as he woke up, Reborn settled his arms loosely but surely around his waist, before greeting him. "Good morning, lovely."

His Sky twitched, clearly realizing that there was something off about their current position. He slowly untucked his head from its hiding place and seemed to be slowly glancing around. Reborn moved back a little so he could fully appreciate the wide green eyes meeting his own and the heavy blush spreading across Harry's face as he realized his position on top of Reborn.

Reborn confirmed to himself that he quite enjoyed his life at the moment.

His Sky cleared his throat softly before mumbling. "G' morning."

Dios mio, his Sky was the most adorable creature he had ever had the pleasure to see. And he was all Reborn's, he internally concluded with satisfaction.

"Sleep well?" Reborn asked slyly.

"Very." Harry mumbled into his shirt. A pause, and then the blush actually increased at the obviously not entirely thought out response.

At that Reborn amended gleefully, that he loved his life.

* * *

Despite having covered some of the heavier topics, to Harry's relief there was no awkwardness between them in the following days. Still, as they watched Fawkes mature into the breathtaking creature he normally was at an incredible rate they kept to lighter topics only occasionally interspersed with some heavier conversation.

At this point it seemed to Harry as though they had been here in the apartment forever, but thinking back it had barely been two weeks since he had woken up entirely lucid. Still, so much had changed for him in so little time, especially the bond with Reborn.

Not only the Flame bond, but rather the personal bond between them, nourished by their conversations. Harry knew that Reborn had left out a lot of the personal information, but Harry had barely given out any personal information at all either only ever talking about his world rather than his own life so he couldn't really point fingers. They had time, those topics could come later.

Harry felt that he was slowly getting to know a part of Reborn beyond them being instant-bonded. They had found in each other what they had looked for in other people for a long time. But Harry knew he wouldn't have been happy if their only connection had been the Flame bond. He wanted to know his bonded, trust him and be trusted by him.

It was something that also worried him when thinking about getting more Guardians. He was quite convinced that he didn't want anyone else other than Reborn, though the way Reborn had described it, looking for Elements would mainly be based on his instincts. But Harry was almost certain that he wouldn't be able to open up to someone else quite as fast or as completely as he had with Reborn.

It might be influenced by the entire situation of being locked in the apartment due to his inability to move anywhere. But Harry thought the main point why it was so very easy for him to open up to Reborn beyond his yearning for this kind of connection was the fact that Reborn had made it undoubtedly clear right from the beginning that Harry was and would always be the center of his world. Harry had easily and enthusiastically reciprocated the sentiment. It was so very, incredibly, unquestionably worth it.

Gaining the power of his Sky Flames was an entirely separate topic on top of everything. He had no clue whether having Flames and magic was something that happened frequently, how Flames and magic were supposed to interact, or even how the presence of both would affect his bond with Reborn.

It was reassuring to feel that his magic was now mostly calm again but the additional pulsing of his Flames made it hard to compare it to how his magic had felt before it had been thrown out of whack originally. He really needed to get in contact with the healers. Harry was convinced that if there was something really wrong, his instincts as well as his magic would warn him in some way. Based on that everything should be fine. But it would be better to have Madam Pomfrey check anyways, even if only so she would forgive him for vanishing from the hospital.

Fawkes' appearance had finally given Harry a way to contact the healers in the Wizarding World. He had already asked Fawkes whether he would be willing to take a message to Madam Pomfrey whenever he recovered from his Burning Day. That was actually far better than any other solution he had been able to come up with before Fawkes' appearance.

Harry had also noticed that Fawkes' presence was truly calming to him and even to Reborn to a certain degree. Harry had explained phoenixes to Reborn, that their death triggered their burning which in turn triggered their rebirth. There needed to be death for rebirth to occur, but phoenixes never truly died as they were instantly reborn. It was one of the best described magical paradoxes. And even having seen it before, Harry still felt utter wonder at witnessing the cycle again.

Though Reborn still swore that his bullet hadn't actually connected with the phoenix but that he had already been burning when the shot reached him. Harry wasn't entirely certain what had happened as Fawkes couldn't possibly have reached his next burning day already.

Despite some initial suspicious glances between Reborn and Fawkes, they had clearly come to terms with each other's presence and were now starting to gang up on Harry in order to get him to eat more and to rest longer. Though Harry suspected that there might be a slight difference of motivation for the latter as Reborn not only insisted on Harry resting more but he also tended to arrange Harry to lean against Reborn as well.

Harry also spent a lot of his time in the afternoon with Fawkes perched on his lap, petting his developing plumage, sometimes talking but mostly in silence. Fawkes seemed to be truly enjoying this time as well as he by now appeared after their lunch expectantly hovering by an armchair for Harry to settle down.

And though it had him relaxing to finally have a way to contact the healers - and just how telling was it that he was so very certain that Madam Pomfrey would be the one to worry about him the most - it also made him nervous that he would be returning to the Wizarding World soon. Because he wasn't naïve enough to think that he would be able to avoid the masses. Especially after having been gone for about a month now.

"Brooding?" Reborn drew him out of his thoughts.

Harry looked up at Reborn from where he had been staring at the book in his hands. Reborn was sitting at one end of the couch while Harry was laid across it with his head on the other end of the couch and his legs in Reborn's lap.

"Well, I am just considering the different scenarios of what will be waiting for us in the Wizarding World." Harry paused as he realized they hadn't really discussed this at all. "Are we even going to the Wizarding World?"

Reborn lazily looked up from his notebook. "Of course. You need to go to a hospital for a check-up and the healers you trust are in the British Wizarding World."

Harry hid his smile behind his book at Reborn's easy concession. When he looked back up he felt a blush creep across his face at the fond look in his Sun's eyes.

"When do you think Fawkes will be ready to fly again?" Reborn asked.

"Well, he already looks pretty good now, though maybe still a little small. He will let us know as soon as he feels up to it." Harry looked over at Fawkes where he was perching on the back of one of the kitchen chairs with his head tucked under his wing. Harry felt a pang at the familiar picture reminding him of his lovely Hedwig.

Reborn had clearly felt the negative turn of his emotions. Harry had to suppress a slight shiver at feeling the large warm hand easily wrap around the bare skin of his ankle. Even without looking at his Sun he knew that his entire focus was on Harry, so he explained.

"Until recently, I had a snowy owl. She was a real beauty, my wonderful Hedwig. She was my first real birthday present and my most loyal companion. She was the only friend who never left my side, the only one who unquestionably stood by me and kept me company when no one else could or would." Harry stated absently, remembering his friend. He missed his Hedwig, her pecking at him to take better care of himself, her always knowing if there was a letter to pick up for him, always knowing when he needed her with him and even understanding when he asked her to stay away for her safety during the summers.

Reborn kept silent as he let Harry grieve his companion. He would not even begin to consider that his Sky's 'first real birthday present' was an owl, something that was clearly from the Wizarding World, which Harry didn't know about until he turned eleven. He just noted it down on his ever growing list of reasons why he would have no problems tearing specific people in Britain apart.

Harry's honest grief at the loss of his companion was almost palpable to Reborn. He could not even imagine what it would mean if he ever lost Leon, who had been his truest companion to date. He glanced over to the plants on the window sill in the kitchen where Leon had taken up residence pretty much immediately after they arrived at the apartment. Leon spent his days there lounging in the sun, only ever moving away when the sun had already set. He was clearly enjoying the down time.

Harry meeting Leon had been quite entertaining. Reborn had been taking a shower and his Sky had already settled into bed. But Harry had decided to get a glass of water from the kitchen, coming across Leon in the process where the chameleon had been moving towards the food Reborn had laid out. When Reborn had come from the shower and went looking for Harry, he had found his Sky at the sink in a staring contest with Leon on the kitchen counter, both seemingly quite at a loss. After having a good laugh - internally of course, Reborn didn't do laughter unless it was the evilly maniacal kind - he had introduced them and Leon had pretty much instantly fallen in love with Harry.

Now, Leon often joined Fawkes whenever Harry settled down for their 'cuddle sessions'. Though the one time Reborn actually called it a 'cuddle session' out loud, all three of them had given him the evil eye - which translated into kitten glowers at most - so he refrained from that specific designation. How he - one of the most feared members of the Mafia World - had managed to acquire what amounted to a small petting zoo and a Sky so adorable he fit right in with them… he had no idea but he was so damn glad he did.

* * *

It had taken another two days before Fawkes was recovered entirely. Harry had somehow just known that Fawkes was ready and by the time he had written a brief but carefully worded letter to Madam Pomfrey Fawkes had already be expectantly settled on the arm rest next to him. When Harry had sealed the letter Fawkes had just leant in, taken it with his beak and vanished in a colorful blaze of red and gold.

Reborn had watched interestedly as all this occurred while he prepared some coffee - yet again - for himself. Harry had warned him of various ways this could turn out. From Fawkes reappearing without a response to bringing a horde of healers with him. Reborn certainly hoped for a sensible compromise but wanted there to be at least one doctor to do a check-up on Harry in the immediate future.

His Sky seemed to anxiously be watching the sky outside of the window though, which didn't make much sense until Reborn remembered owl post being the most common form of wizarding communication. Watching the sky for a response on reflex made some sense then. Still, Reborn stepped in close to his Sky's armchair in case of something unexpected happening. Harry was nervously fiddling with the pen still in his hand while they waited in silence.

It was approaching almost half an hour since Fawkes had left when he returned in a fiery blaze with two passengers in tow.

Harry immediately jumped from his seat when he felt Fawkes return before the phoenix fire was even visible in the room. He felt a wave of relief wash through him at seeing that Fawkes had not only brought Madam Pomfrey but also Mediwizard Biran with him. Both healers looked quite ruffled which was to be expected considering that Fawkes had probably picked up Madam Pomfrey before getting Mediwizard Biran and both of them having gathered everything they needed within half an hour, as it was unlikely that they had been coincidentally in the same room when Fawkes appeared.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a brief once-over before greeting him pointedly."Mr. Potter."

"Madam Pomfrey, Mediwizard Biran. It is very good to see you again." Harry replied, feeling like a scolded first year. Harry was amazed by how Madam Pomfrey had always been able to put an entire scolding into just saying his name in a weighted tone.

At Harry's greeting Madam Pomfrey visibly softened, though still looking quite stern. "Indeed, Mr. Potter. Though it wasn't the first time that you had vanished from your bed against my orders, I was quite concerned at the knowledge that you would have been entirely incapable of getting up and fleeing our care unaided."

At Madam Pomfrey's stern glower, Harry was just glad that he could not be held responsible at all for leaving his bed this time.

Reborn carefully observed both of the newcomers and his Sky's reaction to them. Harry clearly trusted both of them so he let himself relax slightly as he moved forwards. The woman looked harried probably due to being unexpectedly contacted by Harry but still well put together. The man looked slightly at a loss at the entire situation and he still seemed to be having difficulties to look away from the phoenix at all. Neither of them seemed to have the best situational awareness as neither of them seemed to have really registered Reborn's presence at all. Huh. So, Harry was slightly different in that regard.

Harry then remembered his manners and turned to introduce Reborn. "Reborn, these are Madam Pomfrey and Mediwizard Biran, my main healers. Madam Pomfrey is the nurse of Hogwarts' hospital wing and she has been treating me since my first year at Hogwarts. Mediwizard Biran is a specialist in the field of maladies of the developing magical core. Healers, this is Reborn. He is the one who retrieved me from the situation I found myself in after having been removed from your care and he has given me a place to recuperate afterwards."

Reborn gave a lazy nod towards both healers still not moving too far away from his Sky. He inclined his head slightly towards the sofa and Harry immediately reacted, offering the healers a seat and some of the already prepared tea. This got him a reproachful look from Madam Pomfrey until he assured her that he had not used his magic to prepare the tea at all.

When everyone was settled around the coffee table with a warm drink in hand - Reborn thankfully still had some coffee from earlier - Madam Pomfrey asked primly. "Have you been in contact with the Wizarding World at all since your treatment?" At Harry's denial, she continued. "After you disappeared from your hospital room in the middle of the night, we started a frenzied search for your whereabouts. It wasn't until later that we were made aware that others had deemed themselves entitled to make uninformed decisions about your care."

Harry definitely did not envy whoever had borne the brunt of her anger, he really didn't. No matter how well deserved it might be. To this day Madam Pomfrey remained one of the people he respected most in the entire Wizarding World for her uncompromising stance on the care of everyone she considered to be in need of it.

Hogwarts' nurse continued. "By the time we found out about your new placement and promptly came to retrieve you, you had already been moved to another location." There was a minimal pause as she primly took a sip from her tea. "Anyone involved in your displacement from our care has been advised of the imprudence of their decision. Though I have to wonder, why you haven't thought to contact us before now." The no-nonsense woman asked pointedly.

Reborn decided, he definitely liked the woman.

Harry hurried to reply. "Ah, well, you see. The initial move from St. Mungo's to the Muggle World was immediately followed by a move across Europe. I was incoherent for most of it and by the time I came back to myself I found myself in another country, thus making it impossible to simply walk into Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade as that would have required even more travel. I asked Fawkes to find you as soon as he recovered from his Burning Day."

Here, Mediwizard Biran decided to get involved in the conversation for the first time. "Then you were very right to refrain from trying to contact us, Mr. Potter. Traveling a larger distances at that point, or putting any sort of additional strain on your core could have been truly detrimental to your health and your magic. Just from your general demeanor it is obvious that you are doing much better than I would have expected. It seems that your magic is settling down nicely. While we are sitting here comfortably let me just do a quick check-up on your magic."

Harry saw Reborn tense slightly as Biran pulled out his wand. Almost automatically he moved to press the side of his leg against Reborn's - though he wasn't even certain whether it was more to reassure Reborn or to calm himself.

Though Reborn only knew about wands from his Sky's explanations he was also very aware that it was the key to a wizard's offense. He did not like to have it pointed in the general direction of his Sky. At his side, Harry remained entirely calm though, so Reborn refrained from lunging across the coffee table and taking the stick from the man, breaking the wand and all the man's fingers in the process. A swish and a weird twirly flick later and suddenly there was a dull glass-like sphere about as large as both of his fists together, floating between them. Reborn was just going to ignore things appearing from thin air for now.

Still, the healer had clearly picked up on Reborn's less than trusting thoughts and instead of having Harry reach for the sphere he reached for it himself. To the side the woman made an impatient noise clearly not in the mood to humor Reborn's paranoia but a lazy flick of his eyes in her direction showed something like approval in her eyes. She clearly cared for Harry deeply and generally approved of Reborn's caution.

When the healer touched the sphere it was immediately filled with a soft green light, seemingly pulsing and shimmering with various shades of green and even a few yellow-green flecks from time to time.

Harry knew this part already. The orb was a way to view the general state of someone's magical core. They had used this before to assess his core's state in order to avoid having to apply any diagnostic spells directly to Harry which might have negatively affected his magic. When touched, the orb would mirror the current state of the wizard's magical core. These spheres could only be used once as they immediately adjusted to the magic of whoever touched it but any diagnostic spells could then be applied to the orb instead of the wizard making it the optimal tool in Harry's case.

When Biran conjured a second sphere and had it float over to him Harry calmly reached for it. He wasn't even sure what he was expecting, the tumultuous surging of his golden magic - he had gotten a good laugh out of that when he realized that calling him the Golden Boy had been far more accurate than most suspected - or the stillness that had become the state of his magic at some point during the treatment after the first few rituals.

Instead, when he touched the sphere, his bright golden magic seemed to flow smoothly in the sphere. There were still some occasional surges here and there and looking closer at the edges of the orb he could see some clear streaks of orange shimmering and coiling with his magic. Harry suspected the orange streaks to not be his magic at all but rather to be his Flames that were mixing with his magic at the edges of his core. Harry really hoped the healers wouldn't read too much in the slight change of coloring.

Reborn watched interestedly as the glow of his Sky's magic permeated the room. Though the light - _magic_ \- seemed to be different from the one filling the orb the healer had touched even beyond the completely different coloring. Harry's magic seemed more viscous somehow, denser, more substantial. Except for the orange streaks at the edges - and Reborn thought just based on the color those might represent the Sky Flames - which seemed to be more flexible, lighter somehow, quickly flickering in and out of sight, not quite as leisurely coiling as the rest.

Reborn was captivated by the entwining magic and Flames as well as by the wonder on his Sky's face.

Far too soon the healer cleared his throat as he leaned forward to focus on the sphere better. "That is surprising. Your magic seems to be settling down very well, despite the setback due to your displacement. There are still some surges so it hasn't yet resettled entirely but it is far smoother than I had feared given your unexpected removal from a stabilizing environment."

Both healers were focused intensely on the sphere and seemed quite surprised at what they were seeing.

"Would you please briefly pull at your magic?" Biran asked absently as he waved his wand at the sphere in a complicated pattern and Harry did as he was told, watching as the magic in the sphere reacted accordingly. For the next twenty minutes both healers performed various tests to assess the health of his magic.

To his relief neither healer seemed to be give too much attention to the additional color scheme in his magic. Though how were they to know that there was a specific reason for the orange streaks and that those hadn't been a part of Harry's magic originally, before the developing of his condition.

Harry would have liked to tell them about the Flames if only to have them include their presence into their considerations for his treatment. But even though the healers were under unbreakable oaths not to reveal anything they learned about Harry, they clearly fell under Omerta.

It would also have been very convenient to have the help of the healers in trying to organize a cover of Reborn's Flames.

After concluding the tests, Mediwizard Biran summarized. "This looks very promising, Mr. Potter. I would recommend to still refrain from magic use at this point. It should not do any immediate harm to your magic but it will delay your complete recovery. By my estimation, and that could be significantly off to be honest when considering your recovery up to this point, it should take another two maybe three weeks until you are entirely recovered. But to be clear, this is actually a crucial phase of your recovery as the development now can go two ways: towards further smoothing out the random surges or towards increasingly strong surges which can become truly dangerous to you and your surroundings."

Harry assimilated this, not entirely certain what to make of the information.

"Mr. Potter, will you be returning to Britain so a regular check-up could be performed?" Madam Pomfrey asked pointedly.

"Would it be safe to travel that far at this point?" Harry was surprised.

Biran picked up at this point. "Ah, well no, not usually, but travel with a phoenix would be fine. The problem with normal magical travel for you is the crossing of Ley Lines. Are you familiar with the term?"

Harry had heard of Ley Lines of course - it was a well known fact that Hogwarts itself was built on one of the major Ley Centers or Ley Line Crossings in the northern hemisphere - but he had no clue as to why they would affect his ability to travel. He shook his head, waiting expectantly for Biran's explanation.

It was something he really liked about the mediwizard. After their initial meeting Biran had quickly realized that Harry 'The-Savior' Potter actually lacked a lot of what was considered common knowledge in the Wizarding World. So, the mediwizard had taken off his rose-colored glasses, put aside his reverence towards The-Man-Who-Conquered and done his best to explain anything Harry did not know or understand with as much background as he felt was useful. When the other healers had picked up on the reasons for the frequent impromptu lessons they had joined in as well. Harry had gained a lot of his background knowledge on wizarding magic from his healers' explanations.

"Ley Lines are paths of magic that support a clearly defined flow of natural magic all over the world. They differ in their individual strength and flow of magic. Using portkeys or apparition a wizard can travel a large distance within moments, but they will still be traversing the entire distance, just really quickly. Thus with magical travel or muggle travel you would cross numerous Ley Lines of various strengths at random intervals which would be highly disruptive to your still sensitive magic. In contrast, phoenix travel is truly instantaneous without requiring traversing of space but rather an disappearance and instantaneous reappearance in a different location. Additionally, any strain on your magic will be further decreased due to your bond."

Harry had listened interestedly to the explanation of magical travel, but he startled at the mention of the bond. He had been so certain the healers had not realized that he had a soul bond with Reborn. He felt his Guardian tensing next to him as Harry fixed a surprised but pointed stare on the mediwizard. "Bond?"

There was confusion and some hesitance on the face of both healers. Madam Pomfrey was the one who replied. "We had assumed that Fawkes had bonded to you as he seems to be staying with you and is clearly doing your bidding. Especially with the mention of his recent Burning Day, which is required for a phoenix to bond to a wizard."

Okay, Harry had not expected that. Fawkes had bonded to him? Though that would explain how Harry seemed to be aware of where the phoenix was at all times. Like right now, where he _knew_ that Fawkes was perched on the backrest of the chair by the dresser in the bedroom, even though he had not even consciously seen Fawkes retreat that way.

Huh. Some warning would have been nice though. Thinking back, Harry assumed the pulse of magic he had felt when he had first touched Fawkes after his Burning had something to do with this as well. It was actually pretty obvious now that he thought about it. He just really had not expected anything of the sort.

Well, it was definitely a nice surprise. Harry felt warmth flow through him at the thought of Fawkes staying with him and Ren from now on.

Harry shook himself internally and picked up the conversation where they had left off. "So, travel with Fawkes' help will not be too disrupting for my magic, no matter the distance?"

"Ah, I am not actually certain whether a longer distance might have a more adverse effect." Biran responded, though he still looked slightly confused by the sudden intensity that had suddenly permeated the room and then vanished just as abruptly. The mediwizard was entirely unaware that it had been only Reborn's instant focus on him at identifying a possible threat due to his previous comment.

Harry easily distracted the healers with some questions. "What about re-entering a magical environment? I have been staying in the Muggle World for weeks now, pretty much since the treatment was concluded."

"Hm, yes, it might be preferable for you to remain mostly in a non-magical environment until you have completely recovered. Though some brief visits to a magical surrounding might help your acclimatization to a magically saturated environment at this point and won't delay your recovery. It would still be better to avoid a prolonged stay in a magically saturated environment until your magical core has settled entirely."

"That will be not be a problem. I have a goblin warded apartment in Muggle London." Harry replied.

Reborn noted this down as he had not been aware that his Sky owned any properties much less in the non-magical world.

"Ah, that would work perfectly." Biran paused briefly before continuing. "I assume the apartment is warded against apparition and portkeys?"

At Harry's confirming nod, Biran continued. "Would it be possible to arrange the regular check-up with the help of your phoenix then? I am sorry to say that you were found at St. Mungo's last time due to a number of people discussing your regular appearance for your appointments. Be assured that while I was not able to hold any patients responsible for sharing that kind of information any hospital personnel involved in divulging any information about your presence has been punished severely."

Reborn decided he liked this healer as well. There seemed to be a lot of sanguinary people intent on his Sky's protection. If there were more people like this in the Wizarding World he might actually quite like it there, he concluded cheerily.

Harry responded. "I will have to ask Fawkes - " There was a trill from the bedroom, sending a warm pulse through everyone present, and Harry concluded happily. " - but it should not be a problem."

Though at this point Reborn felt it necessary to speak up for the first time. "Are you aware of who specifically was involved in removing Harry from your care?"

Reborn was aware of the clear accusation in his phrasing though it was far milder than it could have been since this screw-up was actually the reason he had found his Sky at all, so he couldn't be too resentful. Though in return for his leniency he was expecting a list of names so Reborn would have the chance to visit every single person involved in this personally and make his displeasure _excruciatingly_ clear.

Both healers focused on him instantly and he could pretty much see them re-assessing him. Reborn was very good at masking his presence - it was essential in his line of occupation - and the healers had clearly dismissed him after his prolonged silence. Though they were both aware enough to recognize the folly of that now. He could practically feel the amusement and satisfaction that his Sky was exuding at their reaction.

It was Madam Pomfrey who responded in the end and mostly towards Harry as well. "I am sorry to say that it was mostly the Order and your friends who were involved, though not everyone of course. We initially assumed the worst, that you had been taken by Voldemort sympathizers. It wasn't until Elphias Doge decided to give a statement to the press that you were recovering from an illness at a safe location that we realized who exactly had been responsible."

There was a slight swooshing noise as Fawkes suddenly settled on the arm rest next to Harry.

After a brief pause the nurse continued. "Apparently, Mr. Doge used his influence in the Ministry to have you removed from St. Mungo's with the help of Aurors and transported you to a new location. After convincing them that it was in everyone's best interest to divulge your location we immediately sought to return you to St. Mungo's. They had even stationed guards at your relatives' residence. Foolishly, these 'guards' had not thought it necessary to give visiting muggles any form of attention and they could only retrospectively recall a larger group of muggles visiting at some point. You were assumed to have been removed from the residence at that point."

There was a prolonged moment of silence between them. Reborn liked how much information he was gleaning from this conversation, though he didn't much like what he was hearing specifically. Harry's friends and allies were responsible for his removal from the hospital, he was apparently enough of a person of interest that it had been noticed that he had been gone and that it had been deemed necessary to make a press statement in that regard, Harry had been brought to his relatives, who were then probably the ones responsible for his Sky ending up in the hands of the mafia. Most of this he had already put together from his Sky's statements before, but it was a definite confirmation of where to direct his wrath.

After some silence Harry asked softly. "Are they aware of my magical condition?" It was a multi-layered question. Not only whether the general public knew about his condition due to information leaked to the press, but also whether the Order had known about it when they had decided to remove him from St. Mungo's.

Madam Pomfrey's reaction was instant. "No. That information has been kept entirely confidential. When the public interest increased exponentially due to the mention of your illness and we had to fear a Ministry search, Mediwizard Biran and I decided to destroy any records. We can always write it down again… at some point. The other specialist have been under vow to not keep any records from the beginning. There is no way to discover any further information as our oaths as healers protect us even from veritaserum."

Harry released a relieved breath though he did not take his focus off Madam Pomfrey who was clearly hesitating to mention something. "While I was informed that they had been directly involved in your unauthorized transport, I have not been able to get in contact with Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger due to their trip to a different country."

Harry was not surprised at that, though it was disappointing to hear that they had not thought it necessary to inquire about his well-being from anyone remaining in Britain, because they would have heard about his disappearance then. And no matter how angry he was at them Harry was also convinced that they would have returned to help with the search if they had thought him to be in any real danger.

"I was informed though that they will be returning within the next few days to attend the eighth year at Hogwarts. You might even be recovered in time for the new term at Hogwarts." Madam Pomfrey concluded.

That gave Reborn pause. He had just assumed that Harry had already finished his education based on the information that Harry had given on magical education so far, though maybe that had been a bit hasty when including the war in the equation. Still, so far his Sky had not mentioned returning to school and going by his renewed silence on the subject Reborn concluded that this was something to be discussed.

Harry did not react to the mention of Hogwarts and going by silence around him that had not gone entirely unnoticed. He stubbornly kept silent though and returned to their previous topic. "How often would you prefer to do a check-up?"

This was something Harry intended to discuss with his Sun alone and not as a general topic of conversation. He had some ideas of what to do instead of going to Hogwarts and he would like to discuss those with Reborn, especially since they had not yet discussed their plans beyond the immediate future of returning to the UK.

Both healers were easily distracted by the topic of his future medical treatment though. They had a brief discussion amongst themselves before concluding with, "Every two days might be the best initially, just to gauge how quickly your magic progresses from this point onward. We could arrange a meeting time to come see you."

Reborn got involved again in order to prevent too many people being aware of where exactly his Sky would be residing. "We can easily visit your office if we can agree on a specific time and date. It should be more convenient for you and it would mean less travel for Fawkes as well if he just had to take us to the hospital and return us afterwards."

At the last part his statement Sky immediately nodded along with his suggestion. Harry was far too kind, so very easily putting anyone else's comfort above his own. But in this instance it suited Reborn's paranoia.

"That would indeed be more convenient. Short distance phoenix travel will be no strain on your core at all. As soon as Hogwarts starts again we could also arrange the meeting at the hospital wing in Hogwarts. I could easily get there by Floo." Biran suggested.

Luckily it was Madam Pomfrey who argued against that suggestions. "Regrettably, I cannot guarantee that the hospital wing will be empty at any specific time, so that might not be advisable. Just one of the children seeing Harry arrive there will be enough to rekindle the media frenzy. So, it might still be best to continue the appointments at St. Mungo's even then."

Reborn could practically feel the anxiety emanating from his Sky at the repeated mention of Hogwarts and so he easily concluded the conversation. "That would work perfectly. The day after tomorrow in your office then? What time would suit you best?"

Another brief discussion between the two healers before they agreed on noon as the time for the appointment and also promised to include the other specialists that had apparently been involved in Harry's treatment.

Fawkes had clearly sensed Harry's anxiety as well because as soon as they had agreed on the time and date he shuffled towards the healers who only had a brief moment to conclude their goodbyes before they were transported away in a golden flash of fire.

They remained sitting in silence for a moment. With the healers gone Reborn felt comfortable moving away from his Sky for a bit and went to prepare some coffee and some fresh tea water, giving Harry some time to collect his thoughts. But instead of remaining in his spot as Reborn had expected, Harry got up as well and followed him to the kitchen taking a seat at the kitchen island instead. He remained silent while Reborn got some grapes and some cheese from the fridge as well. Reborn had taken to providing regular snacks in order to make sure his Sky got enough to eat. He was still far too skinny.

As soon as Reborn settled on the chair next to him - if he had stealthily maneuvered the chair much closer than was strictly necessary, his Sky certainly wasn't complaining - Harry began.

"I guess you have some questions."

If that wasn't the understatement of the day. Though Reborn was actually most interested in the reasons for Harry's strange reaction at the mention of his school, there were some far more pressing questions he wanted to ask, like his level of fame when considering the mention of press releases and Ministry ordered searches to find him. Possibly best to start out with something easier though.

Reborn leaned back in his chair so their arms were pressed together. "You have an apartment in the Muggle World." He mentioned carefully.

Harry was starting to adore how Reborn always stated - not asked - his questions if he wasn't entirely certain whether Harry would be willing to answer. Not having his willingness assumed actually made him want to answer a question more.

"When the war ended, I decided to get a place of my own. As I mentioned before, wizards rarely venture into the Muggle World purposely so I felt it was safer to buy an apartment where I wouldn't constantly be running into someone who would recognize me and thus revealing my location. I had the place warded against anything I could think of. Also, it is actually very close to the most prominent Magical District in London in case I ever need to reach the Wizarding World immediately."

His Sky sure wasn't stupid. But him getting an apartment immediately after the war meant that his Sky had not had anywhere else to stay. Those relatives that had been mentioned by the healer might just be Reborn's first stop in England. Also, spontaneously buying an apartment meant Harry had to have some money which fit well with his mention of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. So many clues were starting to fit into a complete picture.

Though he had to ask about Harry's schooling at some point, so better get that over with now, as it would affect any plans for the immediate future. Reborn was kind of split on the topic of Hogwarts. On the one hand, he felt that education was far too important to just leave it be. On the other hand, there was no way he was okay with his Sky going back to a boarding school - away from Reborn - for an entire year. So, he was hoping for a decent alternative.

His Sky clearly knew what was going through his head though and continued. "I do not intend to return to Hogwarts to finish my seventh year. Or eighths year as they call it because of the number of students who effectively missed an entire year of education due to the war."

There was a pause but Reborn kept silent. He would be hard pressed to just accept it if Harry's reasoning for this decision was simply because he did not feel like it. Still, even if he just wanted to take a year off or something similar to recuperate from the war- a war veteran at eighteen - Reborn refused to exert any pressure on Harry yet. Reborn would not be able to accept something like that indefinitely. But no matter what, after listening to Harry tell some of his life story Reborn would not join the queue of people who had forced his Sky to do something due to their own sensibilities or preconceived notions. So, he waited patiently for his Sky to continue.

"There are several reasons actually, not the least of which is the fact that the Final Battle was fought at Hogwarts and I do not yet feel ready to permanently return there." Harry continued hesitantly clearly having expected some kind of response from Reborn.

Final Battle. That probably included Harry killing the Dark Lord. At Hogwarts, his school. What the fuck was wrong with the British Wizarding World? Reborn had to admit that was actually a pretty decent reason for his Sky's refusal right there. Though he had said several reasons, so Reborn continued to wait patiently.

"Also, as you have probably surmised at this point, I am famous in the Wizarding World. Not just well-known like a celebrity, but more like president famous, _world_ -famous." Harry didn't feel comfortable talking about this, but he forged on. "It was already irritating when I was eleven and entered the Wizarding World, it got maddening when everyone acknowledged me as the prophesized savior in fifth year. After the war it became intolerable. I will not subject myself to that."

Harry refused. He would not return to Hogwarts, he already knew he would hate it and it would destroy the few good memories that remained of his only childhood home.

There was another long pause and Reborn forced himself to remain neutral on several counts. As the silence stretched he decided to ask a question. "What are your plans then?"

At that Harry seemed to light up a bit. "I want to self-study. The only requirement for taking your NEWTs is actually that you have to have passed your OWLs and have reached your majority. Also, I would really like to invest some time on the non-magical side of my education. I haven't been to a regular school since I was eleven and it is embarrassing how little I know about that side of the world."

Newts and owls? As in amphibians and birds? Just by the phrasing it was clear that Harry was talking about some form of exams but still, the Wizarding World sure had a strange sense of humor. At least Reborn hoped it was humor …

Though back to the topic at hand, with that explanation his Sky's reasoning definitely made sense. It also neatly solved the boarding school problem and would also keep them entirely independent, not chained to one specific location. Actually, Reborn really liked this option. He relaxed in his seat as the tension he had not even really noticed before released in his chest.

* * *

They had decided to leave for Britain as soon as possible instead of delaying another day, so the next morning they had packed what they needed. Harry just stuffed what little he had used back into his bag, while Reborn spent most of his time removing any and all traces of their presence - especially Harry's presence - from his apartment.

When they were done, Harry took another look around. He was actually kind of sad to leave. It had been a wonderful few days completely cut off from the world, lazing about, recovering, talking, spending time with Reborn. Even though Harry would like to continue on the same in London, he was not that naïve. As soon as it became known that he had returned to England he would be haunted by anyone and everyone. He suppressed a sigh. First order of business would actually be to get himself personal wards against owls and house-elves, so he would be as hard to find as possible. They would be swamped otherwise.

Harry felt Ren step in close and wrap an arm around his waist from behind. He automatically leaned back into his Sun's chest and took one more wistful look around.

As though called, Fawkes appeared in front of them. Within an instant they had vanished from their little apartment and from Italy altogether.

It wouldn't be until months later that they realized how much their departure would affect the future of the Mafia World. Not even Reborn would have been able to anticipate the chaos their disappearance would leave in its wake.

* * *

 **A/N:** When so many people asked about Leon after the last chapter, I realized that I actually edited out a segment in Ch.7 that included Harry meeting Leon (because of course I didn't have the heart to get rid of Leon). Sorry if his appearance seems really sudden in this chapter because of that. On that note, I can't seem to find any information on where Leon and the other animals actually came from other than all the Arcobaleno having one… Help is very welcome :)

Chapter 9 review responses:

You guys are incredible! Honestly, the numerous reviews are a big part of keeping me as intensely invested in continuing this story. Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to review!

 **To writer2000z & sunsetree:** Thanks for your reviews! Harry is going to meet most of the KHR people at some point. Mpreg is possible in this verse (mostly because I see no reason why it would be the one thing magic fails at) but it will most likely not become relevant in this story. If it does it will be several years into the future of this story and definitely no unplanned, I-didn't-even-know-it-was-possible pregnancy.

 **To leBlanc:** Thanks for reviewing again! I can only reply to the most relevant questions here though because your review was so wonderfully extensive :) Harry isn't getting any mail as owls, house-elves, etc. cannot find him currently due to his messed up magical core (see Ch.7). Training is in no way an option yet (Harry's magic is still recovering) though they will definitely get there.

 **To iReadWriteType:** Thank you for your review! I don't intend to make Reborn the only Guardian, but I honestly can't tell you how long it will take until the next Guardian potentials show up as I don't even know myself yet. I post chapters as soon as I have written them, so I can only tell you that it will be at least a few chapters based on what I have planned out in my mind.

 **To blu star:** Thanks for reviewing! Tsuna  & Co will appear at some point but not for a while.


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: Don't own. Continues immediately after last chapter.

 _End of last chapter:_

 _Harry felt Ren step in close and wrap an arm around his waist from behind. He automatically leaned back into his Sun's chest and took one more wistful look around._

 _As though called, Fawkes appeared in front of them. Within an instant they had vanished from their little apartment and from Italy altogether._

 _It wouldn't be until months later that they realized how much their departure would affect the future of the Mafia World. Not even Reborn would have been able to anticipate the chaos their disappearance would leave in its wake._

* * *

Chapter 11

Barely a moment passed between reaching for Fawkes and finding themselves in Harry's apartment in London. Harry noted with some surprise that there was only a slight sense of vertigo immediately afterwards. Well, that was certainly different from any other form of magical travel he had experienced so far.

His Sun was still keeping a firm hold of him, but Harry was in no hurry to step away from where he was leaning against Reborn's broad chest. He assumed that his Guardian was probably checking their new surroundings for threats, but instead of feeling irritated by the overprotectiveness Harry only felt strangely fond.

Reborn scanned the room and the entire surrounding area with his Flames. He did not let go of Harry even after confirming that there was no immediate threat to his Sky but rather kept Harry pulled against his chest - fitting perfectly into the contours of his body - and looked around the apartment.

They were standing in the living/dining area and Reborn could see what appeared to be an entrance area through an open door slightly to the right. Though the layout was less modern than his place in Italy, Reborn actually quite liked the feel of the apartment. The small kitchen had been opened to the living and dining area by a ceiling-to-counter breakthrough in one of the walls which had been converted into a kitchen island. The kitchen itself seemed rather modern, clearly recently re-done with metal and light wood fixtures.

"I bought the flat from the elder lady who owns the house. She is very kind and said I reminded her of her grandchild. When she realized that I did not own any furniture she more or less filled the apartment with whatever she found in her attic. I mostly just bought the bed and the couch." Harry seemed to be fidgeting slightly from where he was still leaning against Reborn, clearly looking for some sort of approval.

The living area had a large, grey couch with chaise that looked perfect for Reborn to stretch out on with his little Sky curled up on his chest. The modern couch was set off by two dark-leather, high-back armchairs and a low coffee table on rickety legs. A dining table was pushed underneath the window next to the kitchen island giving a pretty nice view outside. Reborn found the random assortment of mismatched furniture quite charming.

At his prolonged silence, Harry rambled on. "I actually declined a lot of the furniture she offered to me, but I really like the look of it right now. Though if you have something you want to add from your place feel free to do so. I had the kitchen installed professionally, though I haven't really had time to use it yet. There is also a small study that you can have for your work. If you want to."

Reborn affirmed to himself - yet again - how very adorable his Sky was as he briefly squeezed him to calm him down - not at all because how very good it felt to have him pressed to his chest.

"It is very charming." Reborn replied, almost wanting to smile when the tension immediately left Harry's form at the minimal reassurance.

* * *

Moving into the apartment was done quickly. Reborn had brought all the things he would need to assure himself of their safety at their new place and he immediately set about checking the apartment physically after already having scanned it with his Flames.

They took a brief tour through the three other rooms that were connected to the entrance area. The bedroom had a large front of narrow floor-to-ceiling windows and the bathroom was pretty spacious and had obviously been recently redone. The large bathtub had Reborn's mind drifting into not so innocent areas with his little Sky featuring prominently. Harry watched Reborn suspiciously, clearly uncertain of what to make of his sudden smirk.

Finally, Harry showed his Sun the study, though suddenly mortified to realize that he had never even brought up the option of converting the study into a second bedroom. He could actually feel the heat of his blush, which got even worse at Reborn's reaction when he brought it up. Suffice to say, they would not be converting the study into a bedroom.

Ignoring his embarrassment, Harry thought that he was glad that they were keeping the study, as he had turned it into a small library. Reborn had been fascinated by the collection of numerous ancient tomes. Two walls of the study were entirely taken up by bookshelves which were filled mostly with old, leather-bound books. Harry had explained that these were all books from his Family Vaults at the wizarding bank, leading to an explanation goblins and Gringotts.

Harry loved having a room filled with books from his Family Vault - a reminder of his family - which he had brought to his warded flat from his various trips to Gringotts. Though that had only been after he had cleared up the situation of the horcrux hunt break-in with the goblins.

* * *

After the Final Battle everyone had been speculating about how the goblins would get their revenge for the break-in, how they would ban Harry from their bank, seize his money, confiscate his family heirlooms, and so on. Hermione had been clear in her opinion that the goblins would consider their break-in a breach of several treaties between the goblin nation and the British Ministry of Magic and thus they would hold them harshly responsible. She had been very sympathetic while explaining that based on the goblin treaties they would be able to seize anything owned by the offender as compensation. Hermione had of course promised to look into it but hadn't had much hope of finding anything.

While Harry had been bitter at losing whatever remained from his family, he knew that even if he had known this beforehand, he would have done the exact same thing in order to rid himself of Voldemort.

So, after listening to various people paint increasingly awful scenarios but nothing actually happening, Harry had decided go gauge the situation himself. It had been about two weeks after the Final Battle and Harry had been mentally and physically exhausted, from assuring the public, from consoling survivors, from attending funerals, from giving statements at one trial after the other. From everything. He had just wanted to get the situation sorted, just as he had wanted to resolve anything else still hanging over his head from the war.

Harry had decided to just try to approach the goblins. When he had entered Gringotts Harry had been apprehensive but to his relief - and contrary to everyone's stated opinions - Harry had neither been barred from Gringotts nor had he been detained. After stating his reasons for being there to a goblin teller - though admittedly under the very suspicious eyes of the goblin guards - he had been brought to an elaborately decorated office with a truly ancient-looking goblin sitting behind the desk.

After Harry had settled into the chair he been pointed to by the guards, there had been heavy silence. He had been quite confused by the situation as - just based on the office and the guards stationed around the room - this was clearly a goblin quite high up in the hierarchy.

Not knowing what to expect and so very damn tired Harry had just decided to go ahead and ignore any social etiquette. Breaking the loaded silence in the room, Harry had explained the background of the break-in. That it had been part of the war against Voldemort and not been aimed at Gringotts itself. That Bellatrix Lestrange's vault had held an artifact that had been crucial for their winning over Voldemort.

His statement had been met with more silence.

Not sure what to make of it, Harry had continued by assuring the goblin that he would be very willing to finance the repairs and refund the loss of the dragon. The goblin had listened to Harry prattle on for a while before abruptly lifting his hand, effectively silencing Harry.

Contrary to all the scenarios Harry had come up with beforehand, the old goblin had merely stated gravely that goblins were a warrior race.

After that statement the goblin had fallen silent again and Harry had been far too tired to even try to put things together. At the lack of reaction from Harry the goblin had graciously - and clearly aggravated by Harry's inability to understand - added that as a warrior race they considered any act of war not aimed at them to be governed by the laws of warfare. Thus Gringotts would be demanding compensation for any repair costs as well as additional compensation for the inconvenience.

Then the goblin had abruptly booted Harry out of his office.

Harry had been baffled and wandered through the Alleys mulling over the new information for a while. He didn't even know whether he even had enough money to cover the costs of the repairs, though the goblin would have probably said so if he didn't. Harry came to the conclusion that he needed a lawyer and remembered Luna pointing out her father's barrister to him at some point during the smear campaign in fifth year. Harry figured that for Luna's father to have maintained an independent newspaper despite the Ministry's media policies he had to have a decently good barrister on his payroll.

So, he sent a letter to Barrister Motley from the owl office. The reply was almost immediate and assured Harry that the law firm would make time for him tomorrow. The perks of being the Savior, he supposed. The next day he sought out Motley & Wellington in Form Alley.

Barrister Motley - a tall, older man with a calm air about him - not only appeared to have cleared his entire schedule for him, he had also contacted the firm of Clarke Solicitors who had apparently been the Potter Family's main lawyers some decades past. Laura Clarke was a middle-aged witch - though jovial she seemed very efficient - who had just recently taken over the firm of Clarke Solicitors with her brother and cousin from their fathers. She started out by conveniently producing her firm's previous contract with the House of Potter to renew the old secrecy clauses. Harry had spent most of the day with both lawyers behind closed doors.

All in all Harry was very grateful that they had been easy to get on board with his most pressing concerns. Barrister Motley easily sorted out the situation with the goblins conceding the fees for the repair costs, the lost dragon and the inconvenience. Then Motley had turned right around and started the process of reclaiming the money from the Ministry, citing some complicated legalese on privately funded war contributions or something similar. Wizarding Britain had seemed close to deifying Harry at that time, so the Ministry had easily and without complaint agreed to reimburse Harry.

Harry had protested in the beginning, wanting to cover at least some of the costs as he felt personally responsible the break-in, however Motley and Clarke had cautioned him gravely. Both barristers were certain that if The-Man-Who-Conquered so much as hinted at covering any war costs, it would start a trend and soon the public and the Ministry would be asking for more. They had come to the compromise that Harry could always anonymously donate funds but the lawyers had been very clear in cautioning to leave his name out of it. They had been probably been right in hindsight.

Their willingness to get reimbursements from the Ministry had also earned Harry and his lawyers the appreciation of the goblins. His role in the war had already earned Harry the goblins' respect as a warrior which was certainly a factor in their willingness to endure his presence. It had definitely shown in any of their dealings afterwards and the goblins' help in the following weeks had been invaluable.

Additionally, Harry had been briefed intensely by Clarke for some specific situations and during one of his many _many_ not so voluntary interviews - read: being mobbed in the Alleys and having people shout questions at him - Harry had stated that 'of course it was impossible for there to have been an actual break-in at Gringotts and that the help of the goblin nation had been invaluable for the war effort'. It had somehow convinced the public that the goblins had been on their side all along and had helped stage the dramatic escape on the dragon in order to avoid Voldemort's suspicion during the war.

The goblins had immediately spun the situation even further in their favor and claimed monetary recompense for their help in the war and the Ministry had not been at all prepared to deal with their demands until it was already over and done with. With the added boost in reputation due to Harry's statement and thus increased business from the sheeple, the goblins seemed to have decided to take the forgive and forget approach in regards to any of Harry's previous actions.

Regarding the 'theft' from Bellatrix Lestrange vaults, the goblins had decided that not only was it an act of war - and thus apparently entirely justified as long as there was monetary compensation for the goblins themselves - but as Harry had been made Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Black by Sirius - and that information had certainly come as a surprise - he had been entirely justified in entering the vault of a family member that had forfeited any and all privileges by killing the previous head of house.

His claim to the House of Black had been yet another aspect that took him, the goblins and his lawyers quite a while to sort through. The accounts of the House of Black were a mess, all the while everyone had been suitably horrified at how little Harry actually knew about his privileges and obligations as a Lord, not to even mention his complete ignorance of estate matters. Until that point in time, Harry had not even considered that he would become the _Lord_ of House Potter with his majority - not that he had thought there would be much left of the House to begin with - so it came as a shock to him to find out that he was now part of the main legislative and judiciary body of the Ministry of Magic, twice over.

Additionally, with his majority he gained access to his Family Vaults. Harry hadn't even known that there were more vaults to the Potter name. No one had seen fit to warn him about this, prepare him for his role in society, explain the intricacies of wizarding politics to him. His lawyers had been horrified. Even the goblins had been kind of stumped at the situation as they had simply considered Harry to be a moron due to him ignoring his vaults instead of considering that he simply might not know about them at all.

And then in addition he had also gained the Ancient and Noble House of Black on top of it, which had sent Clarke into a frenzy trying to find the most recent Black family solicitors. By combining two of the remaining Ancient and Noble Houses Harry had suddenly turned into one of Gringotts' most prolific clients. Not only due to his pure monetary wealth but also because of his political power based on his number of Wizengamot votes, his shares in numerous wizarding and muggle companies, and so on.

From then on any of Harry's requests had immediately been put on top of the pile. It was one of the reasons why he had been able to get his apartment warded right away after buying it, even though a lot of people had lost the protection of their homes during the war and asked for Gringotts' warding services during that time.

All in all, the entire situation had worked incredibly well in Harry's favor. So, of course that was the point when the Potter luck had reared its head, screwing up his magical core and ultimately sending him tumbling head first into the world of organized crime.

* * *

After concluding their brief tour through the apartment, they decided to go out and grab something to eat. Though Reborn was intensely curious about the Wizarding World, they had decided to wait before 'acclimatizing Harry's core to a magically saturated environment' as the healers had put it until tomorrow at St. Mungo's. Instead they went to a small bistro just a few blocks down from the apartment - not too close to their home in order to quiet Reborn's paranoia - and had a late lunch.

Here, Reborn brought up Obliviation Squads, a topic that had been on his mind ever since Harry had mentioned them.

Harry tried to conceal how much this topic affected him as it brought up memories of Occlumency lessons, visions, possession and Sirius' death. But as much as Harry would have liked to avoid this topic indefinitely, he would not send his Guardian into the Wizarding World unaware of specific dangers. So, he explained the Mind Arts to Reborn, focusing on applications of Occlumency and Legilimency.

Harry was slightly apprehensive of talking about this, as it was definitely one of the darker sides to the Magical World. He completed the explanation with, "To me, mind magic is one of the most insidious kinds of magic. Masters of the Mind Arts can manipulate your very thoughts, alter memories, control your actions subtly or directly. While mind control spells are obvious to the affected, compulsion spells and suggestion spells anchored within your mind can be used very subtly and effectively. Thankfully, Mind Arts are an Obscure Art and very rarely taught or practiced. Most mind magic can be defended against by using Occlumency which is mainly a question of strength of will. It does not actually require an accessible magical core and is at least partly possible for non-magicals. I myself have very strong mind barriers and thus I am protected from pretty much anything except for the most focused attacks of a skilled legilimens."

He concluded with a brief explanation of actual Obliviation. "While mind magic can be incredibly subtle and the Obliviate Spell is based on the Mind Arts, it does not really work the same way. For Obliviation the caster does not have to enter someone's mind. He just specifies a thought, a set of knowledge or a memory and the spell erases everything that is directly connected to it. The spell erases parts of your mind and does nothing to fill in the holes, thereby making it detectable if you know what to look for."

Reborn considered the new information as they finished their lunch. He had already decided that he would be learning as much as possible about mental defense. Just the thought of it made him gnash his teeth.

Harry suggested getting some groceries before returning to the flat. Even though the spells on the cabinets in Harry's flat kept everything fresh Harry had not really had time to cook since he had moved into the apartment and thus was missing a lot of the small things that would be required for making a decent meal. After a brief detour to a supermarket right across the street from the restaurant they returned to the apartment where Reborn started arranging the kitchen to his liking.

It was already close to evening and they were discussing what to do after the appointment with the healers tomorrow. Harry had explained the various points he thought were to be considered before they actually went to the Wizarding World, such as finding an explanation for Reborn's Flames. There was no way Reborn would be willing to let his Sky walk into the Wizarding as long as he was not able to use his Flames to eliminate possible threats.

Reborn had been very interested in there possibly being some kind of magical gift sufficiently similar to Flames that Reborn could claim it. Though they would have to research a bit. Good thing that Harry had his own private book collection and they could always acquire more books. Though that would mean entering the Wizarding World, bringing them full circle.

The evening boasted typical London weather - the kind that made you want to stay inside, tucked under a blanket with a good book and a hot drink. So, they decided to do just that.

Reborn had been anticipating going through some of the ancient tomes so he was actually quite happy to stay in. The fact that they spent their entire evening on the couch with Harry on the chaise and Reborn's head settled in his Sky's lap certainly didn't hurt. After getting over his initial timidness, Harry's hand kept returning to play with Reborn's hair, curling individual locks around his slim fingers. Reborn loved it and he decided then and there that they would be making this a regular thing.

* * *

The next morning Harry was quite anxious about the appointment at St. Mungo's. He was afraid of something going wrong, of running into some of the people he did not yet want to face, of the healers figuring out his bond with Reborn or figuring out that Harry suddenly boasted an additional power.

Reborn remained calm, entirely certain that he would be able to easily take care of any threats. Apparently wizards were entirely unprepared to defend themselves if an attack did not include wand movements or fancy light shows. Which was convenient and any possible attackers would be dead at his feet before they had the chance to put his Sky into any real danger. He wasn't the World's Greatest Hitman for nothing.

Though Reborn could feel his superior smirk soften when he saw Harry fidgeting with his tea cup at the kitchen island. Stepping in close to Harry from behind he settled his hands on either side of his Sky on the island. Some of the tension seemed to bleed out of Harry's form as he leaned back slightly against his ches. Looking for a distraction Reborn randomly asked Harry for a summary of magical offense.

Harry gratefully latched onto the topic. Combat magic had actually been something he had looked into at some point after finding out about the prophecy. "In general, offensive curses can do pretty much anything to your opponent you can possibly imagine, from instant death to infinite torture. But real combat magic isn't actually something that a lot of people know how to use. Most wizards rely on a very limited number of spells that have been designed for specific applications in a fight, such as a killing curse or a bone breaking curse. They have one application only and are either sufficiently powered or not. If successfully cast, the killing curse kills on contact, no exceptions. It has a bright green color and is to be avoided at all costs. It cannot be stopped by other spells, only by physical shields."

Harry felt Reborn resting his head against the side of Harry's, while wrapped around him from behind. Harry adored the affection, even though he was kind of irritated to realize that despite bending down Reborn's chin was still only on the level of Harry's temple. He hated being short.

After a brief pause, Harry continued. "Other curses such as cutting curses for example can be applied in more varied ways as they depend on the power and the intent put behind the spell. A cutting curse can be used to cut paper just as well as to slice an entire house in half. However, this demands a lot of power and control from the caster and thus they are not used offensively by most people."

Reborn made an affirming noise from where he now had his nose buried in the hair on top of Harry's head.

"The best _duelers_ use a mixture of low and high-power spells to distract and fell their opponents, whereas good _fighters_ know to throw in apparition, silent casting and sometimes even chain casting. True _warlocks_ can level cities by bending the elements, by weaving runes with potions, by performing rituals before or even during a fight, by bending space and time, by summoning assistance from other realms. However, true warlocks are rare as it requires the mastering of several disciplines at once and it is something to devote your life to. The last known British warlock lived about six centuries ago. There are supposedly some scattered around the world right now, but no one is really sure of their identities as warlocks rarely get involved with other people's business."

"There are only a handful of really good fighters in Britain right now and none of them would dare attack me or someone walking at my side." Harry stated confidently. Then he cracked a smile. "Even if only for the fear of getting dog-piled by everyone around for attacking the Savior."

Reborn chuckled and Harry had to suppress a shiver at the feeling of it vibrating through the chest pressed to Harry's back. He knew that Reborn had intended to distract him with the question, but it had worked a little too well because now all Harry could focus on was the warm body wrapped around him, especially the large warm hand curled around his hip. He sure had messed up priorities.

After a prolonged silence Reborn made another humming noise before standing up straight again though not letting go of Harry and stating. "It's noon."

Before Harry could react to the statement in any way, Fawkes already appeared hovering in front of them.

* * *

They appeared in Mediwizard Biran's office and Harry could feel the clear and immediate change in Reborn's aura. It was clearly honed to protect and only relaxed slightly when no immediate threat was apparent. Not entirely though, probably due to the presence of the three other specialists in Biran's office.

As Harry stepped forward to greet everyone present, Madam Pomfrey looked plainly relieved at seeing them appear in the office, probably having already come up with various scenarios of having to hunt down Harry again. Though even now, as Reborn continued to mask his presence, Biran and Pomfrey mostly disregarded him. It was understandable as Reborn made a living by disappearing into the background whenever he chose, but he was slightly irritated that by ignoring Reborn the healers had failed to draw several essential conclusions. The healers clearly assumed Reborn to be a wizard and thus he should have been able to get in contact with the Wizarding World earlier, even without Fawkes. Accordingly, they should have considered whether there were any factors that had Reborn refrain from doing so. He was glad they didn't consider any of this, as it made his life easier and he knew his aggravation was ridiculous, but still.

After introducing the older balding man as Mindhealer Brixton, the rotund middle-aged man with a permanent frown as Potions Master Holford - who had brewed _all_ of the potions for Harry's treatment - and the short younger man as Rune Master Travers - who had mostly designed and attuned any of the rituals needed to stabilize Harry's magic - to Reborn, it became clear that Holford and Travers had far more situational awareness than the healers. They avoided turning their back to Reborn if at all possible, keeping him in their line of sight.

After the introduction and some questions about Harry's general wellbeing, the testing and prodding commenced. In addition to observing his magical core by using the mirror sphere, Travers had prepared a rune array beforehand that would give him a clear picture of the flow of Harry's magic and would also neatly document the progress of Harry's magic during each appointment. Though after Harry stepped into the array, Travers looked slightly puzzled for a moment. When the Rune Master didn't say anything Harry assumed it was not relevant, despite a slight frown not leaving Travers' face during the entire testing session.

All in all, the testing was done with pretty quickly and they settled down in the various chairs in the mediwizard's office to discuss how to proceed from here. The healers and specialists decided that the best way to proceed would be for Harry to mostly continue as he had so far. As Harry had not been feeling any adverse effects of being in the magically saturated surroundings of St. Mungo's they also suggested that he spend short amounts of time every day in the Wizarding World, though not too extended until they could confirm that this wouldn't have any negative side effects.

Afterwards they drifted into conversation about the current state of the Magical World - with Reborn silent but listening intently - though not much seemed to have changed since Harry disappeared. The Ministry was trying to rebuild itself with Kingsley Shacklebolt at its head, dark magic was still considered evil and to be destroyed at all costs, and Harry was still seen as the representation of all that was good and righteous.

There were some noteworthy topics, such as Elphias Doge - at mentioning his name Biran pratically exuded animosity, clearly not having forgiven the man for removing Harry from St. Mungo's without consulting his healers - apparently vying for an even stronger position within the Ministry, while the pureblood wing was still almost entirely silent. Though Harry was definitely surprised to hear, that many of the post-war trials had been put on hold with Harry's disappearance as his presence was apparently considered to be essential. As he had left written testimonies with the DMLE for any trials where he had thought he might possibly have anything relevant to say, knowing full well that he would be unavailable for a while due to his treatment, Harry was baffled by this.

At this turn in the conversation, Madam Pomfrey seemed to remember something and briefly rummaged through her bag before producing a small stack of newspapers. She handed them to Harry while elaborating. "Not knowing where you had ended up, I kept the newspaper issues with the more important articles. Though I only started about a week into your disappearance when Mr. Doge gave his statement about supposedly ensuring your safety during your recuperation." There was clear contempt in the last part of her statement.

Harry was really grateful to her for the consideration and he thanked her profusely. He could have owled the newspapers for copies but that would have meant revealing that he was back in Britain, so this was an incredibly convenient way to get himself up to speed again. He could already see Reborn eyeing the newspapers keenly, clearly interested as well. Incredibly, the healers seemed to have forgotten about Reborn's presence altogether. Harry really needed to learn whatever trick his Guardian was using. His life would be so much easier if he were able to actively disappear into the background.

Though seeing the Daily Prophet in his hands reminded Harry to ask about what the Wizarding World currently thought about his whereabouts.

It was Biran who answered his question. "The Wizarding World was made aware that you had been removed from St. Mungo's without your healers' approval. It wasn't advertised too strongly as we did not want to have the entirety of Britain including whatever remains from the Dark Lord's forces creating chaos while looking for you. The DMLE was of course made aware in case we needed support, the same with Minister Shacklebolt who had apparently approved your removal from St. Mungo's, though he had been given the clear impression that it was healer sanctioned."

Harry mulled over the information before stating decisively. "I will let Kingsley know that I am back. It will be better if the Minister and the DMLE are informed early on, lest the Aurors try to arrest me as an impostor based on the knowledge that I am supposed to be missing."

Reborn noted to himself, that not only did Harry know the _Minister_ of Magical Britain well enough to call him by his first name, but also that his disappearance had been newsworthy enough to make it into the papers several times and to be considered an issue of importance for the magical police.

Madam Pomfrey confirmed. "That would definitely be a good idea. The number of articles about your supposed whereabouts have been steadily increasing in number." At this point she briefly hesitated.

Harry questioned sardonically, "Let me guess, the public opinion alternates between me recuperating on a beach somewhere and me being incurably sick and dying in an underground bunker."

The healers chuckled at his depiction and Travers commented. "Pretty much, Mr. Potter. Though right now no one would dare say anything bad about you, so our wonderful press has kept it on the supportive side."

"Well, let's give it another few months." Harry just kept himself from snorting in contempt.

Travers nodded solemnly. "Indeed, Mr. Potter."

They returned to the topic of Harry's health again when he asked when he would be able to use magic himself again. The healers did not entirely agree on the answer, though they all assumed something between two to four weeks before his core would have entirely recovered.

Remembering their conversation about the Mind Arts yesterday Harry asked Mindhealer Brixton about the barriers protecting his mind and how they would be affected by the reset of his magic.

Harry himself had never actually mastered Occlumency. Any mind shields that he might have purposely or subconsciously built at some point, had been eradicated during fifth year under the near constant pressure on his shields by Snape and Voldemort. However, due to the numerous and ceaseless attacks his magic had instinctually come up with its own form of defense which now worked just as well as Occlumency if not better in defending his mind. It had even incorporated quite a few automated offensive reactions to any attacks on his mind as well.

It had driven Harry into absolute fury when he Brixton had initially told him that though it was of course more reliable to master Occlumency himself, it was not actually something that was recommended for children. Their mindscape was still fluent and it was recommended to only learn to built Occlumency barriers with a stabilized magical core meaning after magical maturity. Parents who wanted their children's minds protected usually gave them a protective charm or amulet of some sort.

The healers were very aware of Harry's history with Legilimency attacks and possession, which was actually the reason why Biran had demanded Mindhealer Brixton be included into the team of Harry's healers in the beginning. At Harry's question Brixton immediately reassured him that his barriers would have reformed almost immediately after the reset of his magical core. Though the treatment had removed the underlying structure of his magical core, his actual instincts wouldn't be affected and thus any of the intrinsic patterns especially those based on his instincts would be reformed by his resettling magic.

Harry was relieved and, thinking of Reborn's clear interest in being able to defend his mind from magical attacks, asked. "Could you maybe recommend some books on the topic. I know that Occlumency is rather obscure, but I would really like to read up on the topic."

Reborn had been listening intently to the conversation, especially after Harry asked about his mental shields. Harry had mentioned before that he had strong barriers against mind magic attacks, but it had been in the direct context of Occlumency, so Reborn had assumed his Sky's shields to fall in that category. Based on what the healer had said though, Harry's shields were instinctive instead of a learned skill. This was far too reminiscent of their conversation about his Sky's magic being unusually autonomous in its defense of Harry as a direct result of his treatment during childhood.

Reborn sure as fuck hoped that he was putting the clues together incorrectly and that his Sky had not learned to mentally defend himself due to having his mind attacked often enough for the defense to be instinctive. Harry's last question however lent further credence to this assumption, as evidenced by the suddenly heavy atmosphere in the room. The healers clearly knew something about this that Reborn was unaware of. The question itself also pointed in this direction as well. If Harry didn't possess any literature on the topic of Occlumency, how did he learn to defend his mind? Other than by force and necessity.

After a weighted silence the healers seemed to come out of it and assured Harry that they would be sending Harry some books on the topic or at least some recommendations on which books to order.

Knowing full well that Reborn had to have picked up on some of the clues in this conversation, Harry was feeling apprehensive about returning to their apartment. But he wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. So, he wrapped up the conversation with the healers, agreeing to see them again in two days at the same time, and after saying his goodbyes had Fawkes transport them back to the flat.

Head first, eyes open, hope for the best. They should just make it the unofficial Gryffindor motto.

* * *

When they arrived home Reborn was trying to contain his questions and going by Harry's obvious anxiety, he was quite aware of it. Then Reborn decided, to hell with it. He easily moved them to the sofa and settled Harry against his side the same way they had usually sat in the evenings at his apartment in Italy. His Sky easily rested his head against Reborn's shoulder curling his legs up on the couch. There was a brief silence as Reborn tried to find the best way to approach a clearly sensitive topic. He decided to go with the careful approach, as usual leaving it up to Harry how much to actually tell him.

"You didn't learn from books how to shield your mind." Reborn stated, knowing that this was somehow connected to the main problem, though he had not yet entirely seen through what the main underlying problem was. He was definitely getting the feeling that he was not going to like whatever explanation he was going to get.

Harry hesitated. Strangely the Occlumency lessons with Snape almost seemed worse to talk about than any other topic they had covered so far. There was so much he would have to get into in order to explain. The regular violation of his mind by Snape was only a small part of the problem, as the betrayals at the hands of those he had trusted had been far more severe.

Dumbledore had sacrificed him, had not only raised and guided him towards willingly sacrificing himself, but Dumbledore had not even had the decency to tell Harry himself. Harry had been losing more and more of his trust in the headmaster over the years, especially when he realized that Dumbledore would not risk his political standing to fight for Sirius after finding out about his innocence. It was a breach of loyalty, a betrayal that Harry had never been able to forget. However, even then he had truly believed that Dumbledore had wanted the best for everyone, aimed for the Greater Good. He had held fast to that believe until the very end of the war. Harry had been blindsided by the fact that this Greater Good had not included Harry at all.

Harry had not only had his childhood taken away as a direct result of Dumbledore's actions, a man he had trusted deeply for years, but he had been conditioned to see himself as the one to save people, without ever considering his own worth or seeing himself as 'The Savior' at all. Harry had his early teenage years invaded by monsters and plots and betrayal, whilst everyone else had the luxury of mostly normal teenage years. Then Dumbledore had sent Harry to hunt the horcruxes, had him give up the last of whatever time he might have had left to live before martyring himself for Dumbledore's _Greater Good_.

And Harry had believed in Dumbledore. Had believed that the headmaster had everything planned out in a way that if Harry did everything just right, if he saved people, destroyed the horcruxes, trained children, that in the end Harry would have a decent shot at living a life of his choosing. Harry had known that he would have to confront Voldemort, but he had thought it would have been with an honest chance, that he would have been free afterwards if he survived.

Instead after all the grief and pain and loss he had found out that he was to die. At that point, if Harry had not sacrificed himself everything he had done before, had been done by others, would have been worthless. So he had martyred himself.

It had been well played by Dumbledore. In the instant Harry had realized just how well he had been played by someone he trusted, something in Harry had broken. Harry Potter had been worth more for the Greater Good than the entirety of the Wizarding World put together, while at the same time being worth less than any other individual in the Wizarding World.

And even afterwards, after he had ended the war, killed the Dark Lord, sacrificed literally everything, the Wizarding World had been ready to demand more of Harry. There had already been mentions of Harry joining the Auror corps and 'doing his duty in keeping the Wizarding World safe'. His _duty_. Harry had done his damn duty already.

Harry knew he could just tell Reborn only about the Occlumency lessons with Snape and be done with it. But that would definitely be distorting the underlying reasons for his aversion of this topic. Their easy communication and the trust they had built in their conversations was something Harry refused to jeopardize.

And here, tucked into Reborn's side, Harry was finally someone's first concern. He had found his focal point and was the center of his Guardian's world in return. Everyone else could go hang for all that Harry cared at this moment.

So, instead of answering Reborn's question about how he had learned Occlumency directly, he started far further back. Started with the underlying reason for his messed up life, started with the prophecy.

"They think me their Savior, their Chosen One, their _hero_ for vanquishing the Dark Lord. They do not realize that me killing Voldemort was just the tip of the iceberg, that the sacrifices I made had started decades earlier. By the time of the Final Battle I had nothing in my life that wasn't directly tied into Voldemort's defeat. Leaving Voldemort be was not even an option because everything I held dear, my whole life, was built on his demise."

Harry paused before for the first time admitting out loud what everyone preferred to ignore, especially the ones who should know him well enough to know better. "I did not safe them. I saved whatever remained of what I held dear. The survival of the British wizarding population was no factor in this. I am no hero. I am a survivor."

With that, tucked into Reborn's side, the entire story spilled out of him. The war, the intentional and unintentional failure of any and all authority figures even remotely involved in his life, the end-of-the-year trials at school, the Halloween disasters. Being conditioned into a protector, being directly and indirectly attacked by their government, being a chew toy for the press, being abandoned so often he lost any ability to be surprised whenever it happened again.

Snape and Occlumency became a side note, just another aspect in his incredibly screwed up life, another example of how Harry Potter had never been considered a real person, how his future - a future after Voldemort - had never even been a factor. He talked about the betrayals at the hands of those he trusted, having his childhood taken from him, his teenage years turned into a social experiment, before being forced into a war and not even realizing when the goal turned from winning for moral reasons to pure survival.

He talked about the sacrifices anyone even remotely close to Harry had made. His parents and Sirius dying _for_ him, to protect him. Remus, Tonks and Fred dying for the people they held dear, for their families. How children had fought this war and stood on the battle field opposite from their friends and family.

Harry was exhausted and his voice was hoarse, but now that he had started he would be finishing his tale. At his side, Reborn was silent through it all. Not speaking even when Harry fell silent for more than a few minutes - trying to gather his thoughts or re-living various scenes of his life - before continuing with his story. The arm around Harry's waist did not loosen at any point. At some point during the story Fawkes had settled on the closest armrest, though not making a sound throughout.

Harry talked about Voldemort, about childhood abuse, immortality and terror. About human evil, the destruction wrought by arrogance and willful ignorance, greed for power and the soul-deep abyss found in those who were supposedly normal, decent people. About living in a tent for a year, being hunted, wondering whether there would still be anyone left when they made it back. About torture and possession and desperation and the occasional hope that they would _survive_ this. About martyring himself.

Reborn felt his heart stop. Simply _stop_ for a moment. That was it. That was what he had been missing, the fact that had been resonating in all of Harry's stories. Death. His Sky had died. Willingly. Reborn couldn't help but remember the utter desperation he had felt in his Sky's Flames when he had broken down after telling him about killing the Dark Lord. Harry had sacrificed his life.

Reborn had subconsciously dragged his Sky even closer at this revelation. His Sky was entirely tucked into his side, head resting on Reborn's chest and legs thrown over his lap. Their bond was humming and it reassured his frenzied Flames that Harry was safe here with him.

Harry had left this revelation for last, clearly aware that Reborn would be needing a moment afterwards. Though there was no way Reborn would be able to work through this so easily. He would need some time. Though hopefully Harry was aware that after this revelation Reborn wouldn't be letting him out of his sight anytime soon. Or ever, really.

They remained silent for a while. Reborn decided to reciprocate. He talked about his youth, glossing over his childhood, though he mentioned finding himself thrown into the Mafia World as a child, simply because he had activated his Flames far too early, having no family left to protect him and thus learning very quickly to protect himself. Most importantly, he learned that everyone had a price they could be bought for, even if not necessarily monetary. That loyalty never extended beyond one's own interests.

Reborn talked about his mentor, the man who had taught him how to always come out on top, to always win no matter what, to never accept any other outcome. He talked about suddenly finding himself without even that form of support right after having been identified as an incredibly strong Sun by the rest of the mafia.

He talked about Famiglias trying to convince him to join them - still so young and supposedly easily manipulated - before turning right around and trying to get rid of him when it became clear that Renato Sinclair was _too_ strong. None of those Famiglias had lasted long past trying to get rid of him. His mentor taught him well.

Reborn talked about vanishing from the Italian Mafia World when it became clear that this pattern would continue, cutting all ties, erasing his name, his history, his very self, before returning. Reappearing as Reborn two years later and easily claiming the title of the Strongest Sun. Being immediately pursued with assassination and blackmailing attempts.

He talked about claiming the title of the World's Greatest Hitman. Of being offered contracts that should have killed him right after, of ambushes and betrayals, of learning that loyalty suddenly meant something again. Anyone that high up in the food chain had their soft spots protected, knew how to take care of their own needs and thus - though counterintuitive - could not be bought as easily based on non-monetary motives making them less prone to betrayal.

Reborn talked about the vying for his attention and favor, the constant pulling at his Flames by one Sky after another as they tried to bond to him, to pull him in, pull in the Strongest Sun. His pride and disappointment each time they failed and the chafing of his Flames when yet another Sky tried and failed to force a bond. The reason why Reborn never even considered allying himself with any Famiglia, as they only tried to gain an allegiance after they failed to force a bond. Reborn had found no small pleasure in denying every single one of them.

He talked about the increasingly desperate longing of his Flames for Harmonization, the hope for companionship and a place to return to. The disappointment and loathing. He talked about the contempt he had developed for Sky Flame users in general.

He talked about all of it with his Sky's solemn green eyes focused on him, listening intently and pressing further into his side whenever he even alluded to pain, longing, disappointment or betrayal.

* * *

Later, after dinner and some more time spent talking on the couch, when Reborn was taking a shower - Harry ignored his blush when his treacherous mind pointed out that Reborn had not entirely closed the bathroom door - Harry settled in the middle of the mattress though still remaining upright. Usually he pretended to settle on one side of the bed until Reborn just pulled him over anyways. Not today.

When Reborn appeared Harry couldn't help but appreciate the view, as he did pretty much every evening. The usual slacks, shirt and tie - though the tie usually disappeared when they were just lounging about in the apartment - were replaced by a soft pair of sleep pants. And best of all, no shirt.

Harry forcefully suppressed his blush at his thoughts. Harry loved the difference between Reborn's usual attire and his casual dress for bed. Though he doubted that Reborn owned even a single t-shirt, he was very much okay with being the only one to see Reborn dressed like this.

Reborn's surprise at seeing Harry sitting in the middle of the bed was barely noticeable before he was already settling right next to him with a grin and Harry wanted to curse as he felt heat spread down his neck. Thankfully, Reborn didn't actually comment but just looked up at him with warm eyes waiting for Harry to settle down.

After the heavy conversation earlier - this time about their personal history, betrayals and disappointments, childhood and hopes, friends and family - Harry's shyness seemed ridiculous. So he simply stretched out against Reborn's side who immediately wrapped an arm around his waist pulling Harry even closer. In the end Harry was curled mostly on top of Reborn's chest and he felt a tension he had not even realized was there release in his chest at how safe and warm and welcome he felt.

* * *

 **A/N:** I had a ridiculously hard time writing this chapter. I hope the reveal of their personal life stories was not too abrupt (I'm still note quite happy with it but it somehow kept coming back to this no matter what)... In the next chapter they are finally going to enter the WW. I am also planning to include the first confrontation with the sheeple/Order/H&R (though no promises on this definitely happening next chapter, as I haven't actually written it yet).

Just to warn you, I will be on holiday for a bit so I am putting my try-to-update-once-a-week promise on hold until I get back :)

Thanks to everyone who commented on Leon and the other Arcobaleno animals. I already have my own explanation for them in this 'verse but it's good to know that I won't be screwing with canon if there isn't an actual explanation in KHR. To anyone who asked for clarification of where this takes place in the KHR timeline, this is before the Arcobaleno.

Chapter 10 review responses:

Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are amazing!

 **To guest dragon & writer2000z:** Thanks for reviewing yet again! There might be more animals included in the petting zoo in the future though I don't really have anything specific planned yet. Definitely no owl though, they have Fawkes and I just don't see Harry replacing Hedwig with another owl if he has a choice.

 **To Armed Truth:** Thanks for reviewing again! George wasn't involved with moving Harry, but he was also far too preoccupied with Fred's death at that time to realize what the others were planning.

 **To GermanReader1992 & IgnisFelicis & KyuubiChild717 & Fireheart K:** Thank you for your reviews! Any Arcobaleno-related plans are definitely affected by them leaving, though I'm not telling exactly how :)

 **To iReadWriteType:** Thanks for reviewing again! I'm not commenting on Harry's involvement with the Arcobaleno curse yet. If Harry were to create his own Famiglia it definitely wouldn't be a traditional Mafia Famiglia… :)

 **To DementedKitten13 & creepygirl201:** Thanks for reviewing! Harry is definitely not going to bond to all the other Arcobaleno, though I am not saying he won't bond to any of them :)

 **To DocAJ:** Thanks for your review! You are right, the technology is going to become relevant again later on in the story. Good job on spotting that :)

 **To shawtywiththemglasses:** Thank you for your review! I'm not commenting on Harry's other Guardians yet :) I am hoping to make this a mix of HP and KHR though I have no idea how long it is going to take to fully integrate both.


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: Don't own.

* * *

Chapter 12

Reborn let his fingers draw lazy patterns on Harry's back. After having slept restlessly due to the memories brought up by their conversation yesterday they had both woken early, but instead of getting up they had remained in bed, watching in easy silence as the room steadily brightened with the sunrise.

For his part, Harry was basking in the warmth radiating from his Sun - he was so used to waking up curled up mostly on top of Reborn that he didn't even blush anymore, even though he was actively ignoring the fact that Reborn was still shirtless - feeling no urgency whatsoever to start the day. Harry was surprised by how very comfortable he felt right now despite having revealed so much of himself to Reborn - most of which he had never talked about or even mentioned to anyone else.

When they were finally driven from the bed by Harry's complaining stomach and Reborn's need for coffee, they decided to go to a café down the street for breakfast. As it was a rare sunny morning, they took the long route, lazily making their way to the café while Harry talked enthusiastically about flying in comparison to driving - they had been passed by a Porsche on their way and Reborn had mentioned loving the thrill of high speed cars.

Though as Harry talked animatedly, laughing at Reborn's responses to his claims, he gathered more than a few appreciative glances from other people in the street. Irritated - and completely disregarding the admiring looks sent in his own direction - Reborn smoothly stepped in close and wrapped an arm around his Sky's waist - making more than a few people twitch when he turned his glare on them. When he focused on Harry again, he was met with huge green eyes blinking up at him questioningly, clearly not aware what had motivated Reborn's public show of affection.

Hm, his Sky certainly was oblivious to his effect on his surroundings. That could potentially be making Reborn's life infinitely more stressful in the future.

Though after a few moments Harry continued talking, easily leaning into Reborn's side despite the slight blush on his cheeks.

When they finally settled at a table for breakfast at the café, they discussed how to best proceed with the Wizarding World from here - while Harry had a far better idea of what would be the best way to go about re-entering the Wizarding World, he had no intention of making any decisions without Reborn's input - and agreed that it would be best if Harry informed Kingsley of his return right away in order to avoid the hassle of overzealous Aurors.

Harry decided to ask Fawkes to deliver a message to Kingsley when they returned to the flat. He refused to just walk into the Ministry of Magic. He'd either be mobbed by the masses or arrested for pretending to be the Savior, either of which had a high likelihood of Reborn going on a rampage. Harry couldn't help but smirk to himself, remembering his thoughts a few days ago of how the Wizarding World was so not prepared to handle someone like Reborn.

Watching his Sky grin slyly to himself - looking adorable curled up in his chair as he was, almost wrapped around his cup of tea - Reborn decided he liked this café and that they would be returning here - also, the coffee was really good, of course not quite up to his standard, but definitely better than he had expected outside of Italy.

Soon after leaving the café, to his complete irritation Reborn felt someone watching them - someone with Flames, though well masked. Still, he could not entirely make out the position of the watcher - meaning that the watcher was really good, possibly even someone who had worked with Reborn before to know how to best evade his senses. Despite this, his instincts were also telling him that there was no immediate threat from this person, even further annoying Reborn.

No one had any reason to look for Reborn in London, so it was either coincidence - he had never believed in coincidence - or someone was looking for him. Someone who knew him. Even worse, whoever it was had seen him with Harry. Reborn was really irritated and Harry had clearly noticed that Reborn was disturbed by something as he was watching his Sun closely without being obvious about it.

The feeling of being watched dissipated just as suddenly as it had appeared, meaning the person had retreated from their immediate surroundings entirely - otherwise his Flames would have kept track of the presence once they honed in on someone. Still, instead of going to their apartment directly they kept walking for a while as Reborn made sure that they weren't being followed.

When they finally returned to the flat, he explained what had happened to Harry who turned thoughtful but assured Reborn, that the apartment could not be found by anyone due to the wards. It was at least slightly reassuring that as long as they remained in the apartment no one would be able to track them down. Reborn trusted in Harry's assertion of the flat being safe though he really wasn't happy about the situation. He would need to go check some of his contacts soon to figure out whether there was anything going on in the Mafia World that he should know about.

Though Reborn couldn't really do anything about it right now, so Harry sent a missive to Kingsley. Which reminded Harry that he would have to contact his lawyers as well. He had told Motley and Clarke that he would be at St. Mungo's for a while and that he would get in contact with them as soon as he recovered. Biran had informed his lawyers that Harry had been removed from the hospital, so he would have to let them know that he was back in London now. Harry could already picture Clarke salivating at the thought of suing everyone who had been even remotely involved in screwing up his recovery.

While waiting for the Minister's reply they settled at the dinner table and Harry started to look through the newspapers. He was quickly joined by his Guardian.

Even just the pictures were fascinating for Reborn. Not the fact that they were _moving_ pictures - that didn't even get close to the strangest thing Reborn had seen before - but the details he was learning about the Wizarding World. Like the apparent fashion. Robes, pointy hats and hairstyles from a few centuries back? Harry had mentioned some of this before, but this was far more extreme than Reborn had imagined. Another article described warding services offered by Gringotts and Reborn had to force himself not to do a double-take at the picture of a group of what he assumed were goblins. They sure didn't look anything like the polite and amicable personnel you would generally expect at a bank.

The articles themselves covered a wide range of topics and Reborn realized quickly how much information he was missing on the day-to-day life in the Magical World.

It took a while for Harry to explain house-elves to Reborn after a mention of house-elf rights in one article. Reborn didn't quite know what to make of house-elves to be honest. On the one hand it sure sounded convenient, but on the other hand it seemed to be an incredible security risk as there were few wards against house-elves and none that allowed access to only a specific house-elf. Harry assured him that his flat was warded against house-elves altogether, which was a relief.

After some consideration they mostly skipped the international news, just briefly skimming them, as Harry wanted to get up to speed with happenings in the British Wizarding World first. There was only one article on the Indian and the Japanese Minister for Magic visiting Britain that Harry briefly stopped at.

Just looking through the first two newspaper issues already produced five page-long articles about Harry Potter. Reborn was not amused. The articles speculated about Harry's health, his whereabouts, his plans to become an Auror and keep the Wizarding World safe, his current love affairs. Reborn really didn't like it.

There were also quite a few mentions of the 'dark forces' being beaten down, either in the connection with politics, a list of ongoing trials or newly implemented laws. This was also the section where Harry stopped. Reborn remembered the healers mentioning trials being put on hold due to Harry's absence.

Harry was brought out of his focus by Reborn leaning back in his seat. So far, Reborn had patiently waited until Harry had skimmed an article to get an idea what it was about before he explained the background to Reborn and answered whatever questions Reborn would come up with. Having his Guardian lean back was a clear signal that Reborn was preparing for a longer explanation and Harry remembered yesterday's discussion with the healers regarding the trials.

It took Harry a moment to formulate the best way to explain the post-war trials and why Harry had felt the need to be so very closely involved in them. "The British Wizarding justice system, if you can even call it that, is a joke." That was really the only way to describe it. "It is mostly subjective and not at all dependent on supported evidence."

Having already talked about Sirius - his decade-long imprisonment without trial, simply because everyone _knew_ he was guilty - and about Death Eaters simply buying their freedom, it was unnecessary to explain why Harry felt it necessary to do all he could to make sure justice was served. Justice in either direction. He wanted to make sure that no one simply walked free because of connections or deep pockets, and even more so that no one innocent or even mostly innocent was thrown into Azkaban.

In the trials he had attended people were already actively putting the fact that there had been a war out of their minds - in his darker moods Harry thought disparagingly how the ones now passing judgment were the same people who had hidden themselves away during the war, so it would be easy for them to forget there ever having been a war - but actions during wartimes could not be sorted quite as neatly into boxes as these people liked to pretend.

Everyone had felt the terror especially in that last year of the war, so of course people had gotten injured or even killed in the crossfire, sometimes killed by neighbors and friends, simply because they forgot to identify themselves immediately when visiting.

There were horrific stories like a family sending their children to a friend by portkey when attacked who had almost killed two of the children before realizing who had stepped on his property unannounced. During the trial a business adversary of the accused had then thought it a wonderful opportunity to make his own life easier. Thankfully the accused had had his own allies to get out of it but the fact remained that he might have ended up in Azkaban or even Kissed if he hadn't.

Harry absolutely abhorred dementors and he had been one of the main instigators of having Aurors replace the dementors at Azkaban. He had been unsuccessful in also having the Dementor's Kiss banned and he had been appalled to realize that the Kiss had still been passed several times after the war. So, he had started attending any trials he could directly contribute to and any additional trials whenever he could possibly find the time. Even more so after finding out about his seats in the Wizengamot and thus his power to actually influence any rulings simply by voting.

Though he was still glad that the Wizengamot voting was actually anonymous, he had already been feeling uncomfortable with the amount of sway he had had over people's opinion simply by speaking up about presented evidence or even contributing his own statements.

Harry explained to Reborn that he had left written statements regarding a lot of the trials and thus his bafflement at the trials still being put on hold, though at least that way no one else had been Kissed.

Reborn obviously read the resentment on his face at the mention and asked apprehensively, "What exactly is a dementor?"

Before Harry could start on the explanation, Fawkes reappeared hovering over the dining table in front of him with a letter in his beak. The missive was just a hastily scrawled sentence on very official looking stationery letting him know that Kingsley would have time for Harry later in the afternoon. He looked up at Reborn who had meandered into the kitchen for some more coffee.

"Kingsley is fine with Fawkes just taking us to his office, no additional procedures required." Harry stated. He loved having Fawkes back in his life and he was so grateful for the phoenix making his life so much easier, even if only because the phoenix served as an identifier to anyone who had worked with Dumbledore.

Harry was also well aware of how easily wizards fell back on their various stereotypes. He knew that a phoenix would be seen as confirmation that Harry was a light wizard - light meaning _good_ in the eyes of the sheeple. It was a strange notion to Harry as Dumbledore had been many things, but the embodiment of all that is good and pure had not been one of them.

Unlike unicorns - as being of _light_ magic - phoenixes were simply beings of _magic_. Phoenixes didn't care about magical orientation and were just as prone to diverging perceptions as people. Most importantly, neither unicorns nor phoenixes - or any creature really - adhered to any human idea of morality or ethics. Well, Harry was also very aware that this would be working in his favor, as the general wizarding population would take one look at the phoenix on his shoulder and assume they could unquestionably trust in him, just as they had done with Dumbledore.

They still had a few hours before their meeting with the Minister, so Reborn settled back into the chair next to his Sky with a fresh cup of coffee. After going back to the topic of dementors - and really the only appropriate response to that particular revelation was… actually there wasn't one, though Reborn would really like to test his Flames on some of the dementors for causing so much pain to Harry over the years - they spent the remaining time before the meeting looking through more of the newspapers.

This time Reborn had just grabbed one of the issues and read through articles that seemed interesting. Reborn figured it would be the easiest way to not only learn about wizarding culture but also about wizarding mentality. A newspaper was the most comprehensive summary of any society's state of mind.

There was an article in the 'Resourceful Muggle' section, describing the incredible new invention of refrigerators as an equivalent of cold-charm cabinets. Harry hadn't been exaggerating how backwards wizards thought non-magicals to be whilst it actually appeared to be the other way around. The weather section not only predicted the weather for the next eleven months - automatically updating every seven minutes - but also warned residents of northern Scotland that Aurors were still looking for whoever was messing with the weather there.

From time to time Reborn would ask his Sky a specific question when an article made no sense whatsoever without at least confirming the validity of the claims therein. But they only drifted into longer discussions about the background of something once or twice. Like an article on a poltergeist finally moving on after having terrorized a castle in Wales for going on 900 years. Ghosts.

Magic was going to give him a headache, Reborn just knew it, simply by unpredictably alternating between being either immensely fascinating or completely ludicrous.

* * *

When the time for the meeting with the Minister came around and they prepared to leave, Reborn didn't wrap himself around Harry the way he usually did when Fawkes transported them somewhere. This time they could not be entirely certain what would be waiting for them, even though Fawkes would be able to get them out of anything within an instant.

Still, Reborn - with Leon settled on his shoulder in easy reach - stepped in next to his Sky, wrapping one arm around his waist, to make sure he stayed close and it would be easy to immediately move him behind Reborn for protection. Going by his slightly exasperated but fond expression, Harry clearly knew what Reborn was doing.

Harry truly adored his Sun's protectiveness, even though he knew that he would get annoyed fast if Reborn had been overbearing. So far, his Guardian had let Harry take the lead in the presence of other people - seemed to prefer it actually, as he faded into the background - and he only stepped in front of Harry when he suspected a possible physical or magical threat. Harry was fine with that.

Additionally, Harry had no doubt, that Reborn would be able to take apart anyone who dared to try attacking them, with or without his Flames. It was in the way Reborn moved, the absolute self-assuredness in his movements, the near constant scanning of their surroundings that had obviously become second nature to his Guardian at some point in his life.

And right now Harry was very aware that he was mostly defenseless. Not being able to use his magic and not having even tried using his Flames, made him an easy target. He loved knowing that there was someone who had his back no matter what, who would immediately step up to his side to protect him. Not in a way that made him feel incompetent or smothered, but rather by filling in when Harry himself was not able to protect himself.

He would just have to wait and see how this developed when he got his magic back, whether Reborn would accept that he was capable of defending himself as well. However, Harry felt strangely assured in that regard as Reborn so far had seemed very much able to see beyond Harry's stories, see what it meant to have fought in a magical conflict, to have been entirely on his own, to have lived through a war.

And to be honest, Harry was just as obsessed with his Sun's safety as Reborn was with his. So, they would have to find a compromise to keep both of them safe. Harry would make sure of it. The world would burn before he let anyone or anything take Reborn from him.

Reborn watched interestedly as a dangerous glint appeared in his Sky's eyes, all the while Harry easily leaned into his side. Reborn adored how his little Sky fit perfectly into the contours of Reborn's body. His lithe form was easy to entirely wrap around even with just one arm, to envelope him entirely in Reborn's presence. It satisfied some primal urge in Reborn to have Harry so very pliantly fitted into his embrace.

After they had settled, Reborn forced himself to refocus on his surroundings as Fawkes flew over without having to be asked and easily took them to instantly re-appear in Kingsley's office.

With their appearance in the office, Harry immediately registered the presence of several Aurors, who froze at their arrival before trying to go for their wands. Reborn was already moving. Harry found himself behind his Sun and before anyone could react, the two closest Aurors were on the ground disarmed and unconscious. All the while Reborn remained mostly in front of Harry, blocking Harry from the other people in the room.

When another Auror went for his wand, he joined his two comrades on the ground before he even finished drawing. Even Harry had barely been able to see Reborn move.

Stunned silence filled the room.

Harry remained where he was though with his wand drawn - there was no way he was leaving Reborn on his own in case he needed support, his magic would recover again if he was forced to use it here - watching calmly as Reborn settled in a seemingly relaxed slouch mostly in front of Harry.

Kingsley should have known better. Even if it had only been Harry, he would not have reacted well to having unknown people in the room after having been assured of a private meeting. Harry had specifically asked for a meeting with only Kingsley present and the Minister hadn't indicated otherwise in his missive. Harry had told Kingsley that he would be coming with a companion so a single additional presence might have been justified but there were six Aurors as far as Harry could see. So, as far as Harry was concerned this outcome should have been expected.

Harry watched with smug satisfaction as the remaining three Aurors stared uncomprehendingly at their downed comrades. Two of them had their wands out though seemed experienced enough to know not to aim them in Harry and Reborn's direction. Harry would have liked to simply see how this situation worked out, but he felt the need to step in when he saw the tell-tale wrist movement of Kingsley going for his wand.

Harry was irritated by what felt like an ambush, but it would be far too much hassle if Reborn were to kill the acting Minister of Magic. Harry had no doubt who would come out the winner in the current scenario. The wizards wouldn't even register Reborn as a threat due to the lack of a wand and they would end up with a bullet between their eyes before they even realized where the actual threat was.

Still, it would not be worth the hassle, so Harry stepped slightly forward, though in easy reach for Reborn. "Hello, Kingsley. This is certainly an unexpected greeting."

At Harry's greeting the people in the office faltered and Reborn felt delighted at their hesitation when seeing his Sky with his wand drawn. There was apprehension reflected in their eyes as they clearly didn't know how to handle their Savior when angered.

The tall black man behind the desk answered carefully. "Harry. Good to see you."

Harry actually snorted at that. He deliberately looked around the room though remaining relaxed as though feeling completely unthreatened. "Well, based on this situation, I'm really not that sure I can say the same."

Reborn had to force himself to ignore his reaction at the hard glint in his Sky's eyes and his easy confidence, as well as the obvious intimidation of everyone else in the room. He felt a rush of possessiveness and arousal at seeing Harry command the entire room with just a single glance around, to the point that no one present seemed to be even willing to challenge his authority.

There was a brief silence and a suspicious look in Reborn's direction before the apparent Minister gave a sign for the Aurors to leave the room. After some hesitation, it took only a few moments for them to clear out, taking their felled compatriots with them, except for one woman who remained standing at Kingsley's side.

When everyone had left - and Reborn made sure of it, scanning the room with his Flames - Harry tucked away his wand. At that the Minister seemed to mostly relax again, though he did not let Reborn out of his sight. So, not stupid this one.

Kingsley offered, "I apologize, one of my meetings ran late. This is Head Auror Savage who took over as Head of the DMLE from me. There have been a series of attacks on various ministry personnel and thus the more important members of the Ministry have been assigned a constant Auror guard since two weeks ago."

Harry briefly considered the current Minister of Magic. Though they had only little contact during the war, they had always gotten along well. He had always liked Kingsley and his calming presence. Harry could also understand that Kingsley would have a guard during these times, so he could easily forgive the oversight.

Harry finally reached out his hand to greet one of the few remaining Order members properly and Kingsley immediately reached for it.

"It's good to see you again." Harry paused briefly before introducing his Guardian. "This is Reborn. He has been helping me while I was incapacitated. Reborn this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic and a comrade during the war."

Everyone shook hands before all of them settled down in the various chairs in the office, though still eyeing each other suspiciously. Harry did his best to ignore the reverent stare of the woman which was only interrupted from time to time by brief mistrustful glances in Reborn's direction.

In the following silence Kingsley seemed to be arguing with himself whether to ask questions about Reborn's presence, so Harry decided to quickly start on a different topic.

"I heard my healers visited you during my absence." He stated.

Kingsley immediately focused on Harry. "Yes, they came to me right after it became common knowledge that you had been moved from the hospital with the help of Aurors on Doge's insistence. Let's just say that the information I was provided with by Doge was not as complete as I had assumed. Though it is regrettably far more convoluted than even that. I was given the impression that your move was healer sanctioned and thus I saw no problem with agreeing."

Harry nodded to Kingsley's answer. Even though he did not blame Kingsley for the situation it had also shown him clearly that Kingsley mostly saw him as Harry Potter, the Savior. Just the idea that the Order had thought it entirely justified to make decisions on his behalf without taking Harry's own opinion into account at all was too reminiscent of the war for Harry to just look past it. Though if anyone could claim that they just had too much stuff on their mind to consider Harry's personal sensibilities it would be the post-war Minister.

He did not mention any of this out loud, though going by Reborn's focus on him, his Sun was well aware of it.

In order to avoid getting stuck on one of the more volatile topics, Harry inquired about the halted trials instead. Kingsley explained that during one of the trials after Harry's disappearance when it looked like the defendant would walk free, one of the main accusers claimed that Harry had to be at the trial because he would have more incriminating evidence. It had quickly become a standard claim for whichever side was losing during a trial that Harry would have more information and thus had to be there. They had just halted the trials at some point.

Kingsley himself seemed rather glad about the respite of having one less thing on his plate to take care of simultaneously with everything else. Harry just felt annoyed. Apparently the Wizarding World couldn't even get the simplest things done without him there. While he was happy that they had been trying to get the full story before passing judgment on anyone, it was also exasperating that it was just assumed that Harry would have some sort of information no one else had.

He had been on the run for most of the war and not directly involved in the Wizarding World at all. He doubted he would have anything to say for most of the trials but he also knew he would not risk letting an innocent person going to jail or a guilty person walk free if he could do anything about it.

Kingsley and Savage had kept Reborn in view the entire time during their talk, even though they were mostly focused on Harry, with Reborn mostly vanishing into the background by not contributing to the conversation directly at all. Well, after having made his presence so very clear within a few seconds of appearing in Kingsley's office it was no wonder that the other two were not quite able to forget about him. They even tried to nudge the conversation in the direction of Reborn's presence a few times - clearly trying to gain more information on Reborn's identity - but there were more than enough topics for Harry to distract them with.

Despite the rocky start of their conversation after their initial confrontation, they quickly drifted into numerous topics ranging from the safety in Diagon Alley to the rebuilding of Hogwarts. At the mention of Hogwarts, Savage very zealously emphasized that she would be very willing to instate Harry as an Auror even without him finishing school.

"The Auror Department would welcome you right away. It would be very reassuring for the people as well to see the Man-Who-Conquered still protecting them in this time." Savage pointed out.

Harry paused. This was not a good topic. He had no intention whatsoever to become an Auror at any point of his life, finished education or no. Harry wanted the chance to live his life and he would not have that taken from him. Also, his bonded was involved in organized crime, it so wasn't worth the hassle to join the crime fighting side of society. No way.

At his side, Reborn clearly wasn't thrilled by the offer either, probably due to the mention of Harry's status in the Wizarding World and what people expected of him.

When the silence in the office stretched too long, Harry refocused on the Head Auror who was still staring at him. "Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline."

Kingsley who been watching him closely had clearly picked up on there being more to that statement than Harry had actually said. He stated carefully. "While it would certainly make my life easier, I can understand if you would want to finish Hogwarts first before joining the Aurors."

Well, nothing for it then. "I don't intend to join the Aurors at all. It is not the job for me." At this Savage was already opening his mouth to respond, so Harry quickly added, "I will not be returning to Hogwarts either."

That stopped them short, but Kingsley responded with admirable calm clearly trying to get the whole picture first. "Which job are you aiming for then?"

Kingsley and Savage were now giving Reborn some truly suspicious looks, obviously blaming him for Harry's opinions. Before his treatment at St. Mungo's, Harry had done everything he could to avoid this very discussion, even though he had been just as certain about most of it, so it was understandable that Kingsley might blame the one person in the room he didn't know for Harry's apparent change of heart.

The Minister was clearly hoping that Harry would not make his life any harder than necessary and Harry actually felt a slight twinge at having to disappoint him. "I am not aiming for a specific job right now. I intend to finish my magical and muggle education and I am not certain what job I will be aiming for afterwards."

This seemed to even stump the Minister. But it was the Head Auror who responded far more pressing than before. "I don't even… You are not joining the Aurors? It is expected for the Savior to join the Ministry in establishing law and order in Magical Britain. If you intend to finish your education first you have to attend Hogwarts, so you remain in the public eye and so people feel assured that it is safe to send their children to school."

Well now, that certainly wasn't what Harry had been wanting to hear and going by the sudden pressure in the room, his Sun felt the same. Reborn shifted slightly, so their arms were slightly pressed together while Harry tried to think of a response that might be acceptable to the two opposite them. Harry forced himself to remain calm despite this being a perfect example of why Harry despised the Wizarding World at times.

"The Auror corps is not something that I see in my future." Harry responded to the main issue in the woman's statement instead of addressing her other claims.

Though this seemed to further irritate Savage. "That is unacceptable." - and here Harry felt his patience simply vanish into thin air - "The Man-Who-Conquered has to be visible to the populous in order to reassure them. The Savior needs to be seen supporting the Ministry."

Huh, she sounded just like Fudge and Scrimgeour. Harry did not like her and he felt his anger being stoked with every statement she made. He hated being referred to in the third person and by his titles only.

Kingsley had remained silent for the last few statements and he was watching Harry intently, but he was also not refuting what the woman was saying. So, this was another instance of Harry being _Harry Potter_ only.

In the end it was Reborn who responded instead, instantly reorienting everyone's entire focus onto himself.

"Excuse me for interjecting on _The Savior's_ behalf. Despite the ever so nicely stated requests from who I assume is a truly essential part of this government, that will not be possible. Regrettably, due to the intervention during _The Savior's_ treatment against his healer's orders, _The Savior_ is to avoid extended stays in any environment with high magical saturation for the time being. I assume it was under your leadership that your department allowed the move of _The Savior_ from St. Mungo's? Unfortunately, due to this decision it will not be possible for _The Savior_ to work or live in the Wizarding World at this point in time. Should his condition change _you_ would of course be the very first person to be informed of _The Savior's_ recovery."

Harry had to restrain himself from laughing out loud at the incredibly heavy sarcasm in the brief statement. He especially enjoyed Reborn's pointed use of his titles, each repetition further deepening the flush on Savage's face.

Though at Reborn's explanation Kingsley turned to Harry. "Your health has been compromised?"

Harry briefly considered Kingsley, entirely ignoring the woman whose embarrassment seemed to be turning into anger now. "The move from the hospital was pretty much the worst that could have been done in my condition and delayed my recovery significantly. Initially, I should have stayed in the Wizarding World for my entire recovery and at this point I should actually already have entirely recovered. Now though, I have to slowly acclimatize to magical surroundings again before staying for an extended period of time even becomes an option again. And even this is still on a trial basis and the healers will decide within the next few days whether I will be able to return to the Wizarding World for regular short visits at all before I have entirely recovered."

Kingsley briefly closed his eyes. "Do the healers have an estimated time for your recovery?"

"So far nothing is really certain, as we are just now trying to get me acclimatized to magical surroundings again." Harry responded carefully, not giving any indication that the healers had estimated only a few weeks until his full recovery. No matter how much he liked Kingsley, he had no interest in having the Ministry knocking on his door every few days to inquire whether he was recovered enough to start helping out yet.

Though Kingsley seemed to have understood that Harry's decision to avoid the Aurors and Hogwarts was absolute. He also knew Harry well enough to realize that once he had made a decision it would not be easily overturned. On the other hand, Harry knew how much of a difference it would make for the Ministry to be seen to be supported by the Savior, so he had no doubt that even Kingsley would be asking for favors and being a war comrade, Harry would be likely to grant them as well.

"Can we expect your attendance at the trials and the Wizengamot sessions then?" Kingsley finally asked.

"I will have to await the healers' verdict on whether I will be able to come to the Wizarding World regularly at all. I will let you know as soon as I know whether this is an option." Harry responded easily, as he definitely intended to attend the trials if at all possible.

At this point Savage suddenly spoke up again. "There will be an Auror guard assigned to you for protection. You have to be kept safe."

Harry couldn't help but snort - though he tried to quickly turn it into a cough - and he felt mixture of intense scorn and amusement coming from Reborn at the statement. Even Kingsley seemed amused.

Harry still forced himself to respond civilly. "No thank you. I think we got it covered."

The woman responded scandalized. "But the Savior has to be protected from the dark forces!"

Oh wow, Harry really didn't like her.

It was Reborn who responded this time, calmly leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankles. "You are welcome to provide any number of Aurors to try out for the position." - the woman's eyes lit up with satisfaction at that - "Though as the protectors should be stronger than the guarded, only those who are able to get past the both of us will be allowed to remain."

Savage had already opened her mouth - probably to list some names of suitable Auror candidates - but at the second part of Reborn's statement no actual sound came out. She seemed to be remembering their entrance a few hours earlier, Reborn taking out several of her Aurors - her personal guard included - before anyone had time to react. Add in The-Man-Who-Conquered as a hurdle… She was clearly at a loss of what to say.

Meanwhile, Harry was doing his best to suppress his shiver at seeing Reborn so self-assuredly smack down the suggestion. At the same time there was clear anticipation in Reborn's eyes at the thought of a fight, of obliterating a large number of opponents. The feeling of Reborn's Flames - lazily twisting on their search for an opponent, all the while coiling around their bond - was breathtaking. Harry pushed away the reproachful thought that he could not possibly be turned on by his Guardian's apparent bloodlust.

The stand-still was ended by Kingsley who concluded. "I think it might be better for the Aurors to continue keeping the Wizarding World safe instead."

Harry couldn't help grinning at the Minister's response. They quickly concluded the meeting with the woman still fuming in her seat. Harry just knew she was going to be a problem in the future.

Finally, Kingsley stood up holding out his hand which Harry took immediately. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry for what happened with your recovery. You are the last person who deserved having even more complications heaped on you. If there is anything I can do to help, just please let me know."

Kingsley even shook hands with Reborn and Harry agreed to let the Minister know about the healers' verdict on whether he would be able to visit the Wizarding World regularly.

The meeting at the Ministry had taken far longer than they had expected and the healers had recommended brief stays in the Magical World in the beginning in order to confirm that Harry's core would be able to adjust. So, instead of visiting Gringotts as they had originally intended, Fawkes took them back to the apartment.

As Reborn was still irritated by the watcher earlier, they spend the rest of the day in the apartment reading newspapers and searching through some literature for a magical explanation of Flames. Reborn had easily manipulated them into the same position as before, resting his head in Harry's lap and enjoyed Harry playing with his hair as they relaxed.

* * *

The next day continued in the same vein until the appointment at St. Mungo's. Harry had been considering trying out his Flames but in the end they agreed that it might be best to first hear the healers' opinion on how their excursion yesterday had affected his recovery.

The testing at St. Mungo's commenced pretty much the same as it had the last time - though the Potions Master was not present this time as he was apparently visiting a conference in Paris - and the healers agreed that their visit to the Ministry yesterday had not had any negative effects on his core. They were quite satisfied with the progress of his recovery and recommended he continue to visit the Magical World daily.

After the testing was done Madam Pomfrey unexpectedly pulled Harry aside to inquire after his wellbeing in her usual stern way. She had clearly reconsidered Reborn's presence in Harry's life since their last appointment as she had been trying to keep an eye on Reborn during this meeting. She did not directly say so but Harry just felt his respect for her increase further and assured her that Reborn was beyond any doubt on Harry's side.

After getting her reassurance there was a brief pause before Madam Pomfrey offered. "They are delaying the start of the new term for another two weeks due to the rebuilding of Hogwarts. You should be recovered by the time the new term starts. I would recommend you make preparations though in case your magic cannot immediately handle a permanent stay at Hogwarts."

Harry considered the nurse closely, before stating, "Madam Pomfrey, I will not be returning for the final year at Hogwarts. Even though I would love living another year at Hogwarts, going by my experiences with the press and the general public I probably wouldn't be able to really enjoy it."

There was no surprise in her expression at his statement. She had clearly picked up on his hesitation in their previous meetings and she seemed to have expected something along these lines. Still, there was also disapproval clearly visible as she responded. "Might I suggest you take some time off then instead of immediately joining the Ministry in its efforts of rebuilding the Wizarding World."

And this was why Harry had always liked Madam Pomfrey so much. She accepted his decisions - well, unless they were about his health. Even though she was clearly assuming that he would be joining the Aurors - being well aware that Harry did not enjoy his fame or the hunting of criminals - and quite clearly disapproved of him not finishing school, she did not even attempt to impress her own opinions on him or change his mind.

Harry answered easily. "I will not be joining the Ministry any time soon either. I think it might be best to get everyone used to the idea that I might not be fitting into their mold of me quite as perfectly as everyone has envisioned. I intend to finish my schooling by self-study, see a bit of the world and choose my profession when I have had time to consider alternatives. Though I don't see law enforcement as a viable option in my future at all."

During Harry's brief monologue Madam Pomfrey had started to look more and more satisfied. She had clearly been worried about either of the most likely scenarios, Harry joining Hogwarts and being hunted by his peers or Harry joining the Aurors and hunting criminals. The press didn't really factor into the equation as they would be a pain no matter what.

"Well then, no matter what you decide, I expect you to stay in contact, Mr. Potter. And to arrange regular check-ups for your health." Then a vindictively satisfied expression briefly flitted across her face. "In any case, after your tumultuous recovery who knows whether you would even be able to permanently join your peers at Hogwarts at all or what kind of late-onset side effects there might be yet to appear."

A pause. Then Harry grinned at her. With her brief statement Madam Pomfrey had just made clear that should his staying away from Hogwarts become an issue, the blame would easily be pointed at the Order and whoever else had been involved in his removal from her care. Madam Pomfrey was vicious in her revenge.

Reborn had been keeping an eye on his Sky a few steps off to the side but as Harry had not seemed upset in the least at any point during his talk with the school nurse, he had kept his distance. When they moved back towards them Reborn clearly noted the sudden approval directed at him from the woman.

Strange, but hats off to her for finally taking note of Reborn and his presence in Harry's life. Reborn was getting the feeling that Madam Pomfrey would turn out to be a wonderful ally in making sure that everyone who had somehow screwed his Sky over got what they deserved.

When everyone finally started to disperse after they had agreed on another appointment at St. Mungo's in three days, they were stopped by Travers who had been watching Harry very closely during the testing and had even brought some additional rune arrays this time. It made Reborn suspicious - though he could sense no ill intent - especially when the Rune Master asked if they would briefly join him in his office, clearly wanting to have a discussion separate from the other healers. Definitely suspicious.

After a quick glance between them, Harry and Reborn agreed and let Travers go ahead via the Floo before following with Fawkes.

* * *

 **A/N:** Huh, so this chapter kind of ran away with me, but once it was finished I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. So, this is kind of about half of what I had originally planned for this chapter. Hopefully, I'll get the rest of it written soon…

I'm eager to see whether anyone can guess the identity of their watcher (though keep in mind that I have been messing with the KHR 'verse a lot), it might just be Harry's next guardian… :)

Chapter 11 reviews:

Thanks so much for all your reviews! I adore you guys for all the feedback :)

 **To writer2000z:** Thanks for reviewing again! Harry will not have a secondary Flame in this story but thanks for all the suggestions how to go about it :)

 **To Four-eyes-girl & iBeta:** Thanks for reviewing again! The romance is one of the things in this story that I don't have a clear timeline for so I can only say that they will get there but I don't know how soon, sorry :) I don't want to give too much away about the Guardians but it's going to be a mix of Harry bonding some pretty soon and some will have to wait for quite a while.

 **To guest dragon:** Thanks for reviewing again! Well, Travers definitely saw something during the test… :) Will definitely be in the next chapter.

 **To DocAJ:** Thanks for reviewing again! You are right that there has been contact between mafia and magic before, though the existence of either is not common knowledge and not everyone involved necessarily knew what exactly they were looking at and thus came up with various explanations. It will become clearer in the next chapters :)


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: Don't own.

* * *

 _End of last chapter:_

 _When everyone finally started to disperse after they had agreed on another appointment at St. Mungo's in three days, they were stopped by Travers who had been watching Harry very closely during the testing and had even brought some additional rune arrays this time._

 _It made Reborn suspicious - though he could sense no ill intent - especially when the Rune Master asked if they would briefly join him in his office, clearly wanting to have a discussion separate from the other healers. Definitely suspicious._

 _After a quick glance between them, Harry and Reborn agreed and let Travers go ahead via the Floo before following with Fawkes._

* * *

Chapter 13

Reborn and Harry appeared in the Rune Master's office at St. Mungo's - he apparently had his own office and workroom there due to his frequent consulting with the hospital's healers - finding Travers already settled in the chair behind his desk.

They settled into the two chairs across from the man, seemingly relaxed. Their intent focus on the man did not waver however.

Even as he watched Travers, Reborn was constantly scanning the room with his Flames looking for threats - he didn't like not knowing what was going on and a meeting separate from the other healers was definitely making him suspicious.

Harry was feeling just as apprehensive as Reborn - hopefully this was not the Potter luck acting up again - and he willed the Rune Master not to have noticed their bond. They were already looking into some kind of magical explanation for Flames so they could at least attempt an explanation, but he had absolutely no idea how they could possibly explain a _soul_ bond away. Especially to someone like Travers whose magical knowledge vastly exceeded Harry's own.

There was a brief pause as Travers watched them slightly wide-eyed, clearly not expecting the intense feeling of their combined focus on him.

Though after a few moments Travers apparently decided to simply ignore the heavy atmosphere in the room and stated cheerily. "I asked you for a private meeting, as I noticed something which might not be directly relevant for your treatment and I wasn't certain whether you would prefer to keep this to yourself."

At that, Travers abruptly stopped himself, seemingly just noticing Reborn's presence being in direct contrast to the intended privacy of the meeting. As the man turned a questioning look towards Harry, Reborn did nothing to cover his amusement at Travers' sudden epiphany.

Though Harry was relieved that client privacy might be the main reason for the meeting separate from the other healers, he wasn't relaxing until he was sure what this meeting was about. It was also quite entertaining that _this_ was the point where Reborn's presence at his supposedly private healer appointments was suddenly questioned. Keeping his amusement to himself, Harry indicated for Travers to continue.

After another hesitant look in Reborn's direction, the Rune Master continued a bit more carefully. "The rune arrays I have been using were designed to give me a very clear image not only of the general state of your magical core but more importantly of the flow of your magic. During your last appointment the arrays detected an additional dynamic to your magic that cannot entirely be explained by the resettling of your magic."

This wasn't good. Harry tried to keep his composure while Travers talked. It sounded very much like the Rune Master had either discovered their bond or his Flames during the testing. At his side, Reborn appeared deceptively relaxed in his slightly slouched position - though Harry could feel his readiness to act immediately.

All the while, Travers continued talking. "It took me some time of studying the array afterwards to figure out that this dynamic seems to be in the form of an additional layer to your magical core. It is astounding, but the most likely explanation is the activation of a dormant talent due to the removal of any internal or external restraints on your magical core."

Here, Travers paused for a moment giving them some time to assimilate this knowledge.

Harry was considering options of how to handle this. Travers having discovered his Flames was not the worst case scenario but it could still potentially go wrong. While he could claim not to know a thing - which would seem unlikely at best - this might just be their best option of finding a magical explanation for Flames.

Reborn felt himself relax slightly at realizing that their bond had not been discovered. Travers had seemingly not made any connections to Reborn's presence and appeared even convinced that there was a logical explanation for the sudden presence of Harry's Flames. Though Reborn could almost feel his Sky's nervousness at this development, so he easily moved his thigh to press against Harry's for reassurance.

Harry was surprised to actually feel some of his tension evaporate at the contact despite the situation. A quick glance to Reborn before Harry ventured. "I am aware of this additional layer. However, so far I have not been able to identify its nature. Did the arrays give you any more information?"

Travers considered both of them briefly, probably suspecting that there was more than he was being told. "The arrays I used today were mainly designed to assure that there would be no negative effect on the stability of your magic. Which I am glad to say there won't be, if anything it might actually help with stabilizing your core. "

A brief pause. "I have not yet tried to identify the added dynamic's nature. The arrays I have used so far just give me a general impression of its nature and though there are some possible explanations, the arrays were not designed for actual identification. Just based on the pattern of this extra layer around your core it might be related to Elemental Magic, though I would have to perform additional tests in order to confirm."

Harry was stumped. Elemental Magic? Like in the stories of wizards raising mountains at a whim or igniting infernos that laid waste to entire countries? The supposed power of true Elementals or even elementalists had always seemed kind of unbelievable to Harry to be honest.

Though Harry did not really know anything about weaving of Elemental Magic, it was one of the examples always mentioned when talking about truly powerful Magicks. There were also numerous stories about it going wrong out there. Like Atlantis - which was probably the most famous example of the uncontrollable nature of Elemental Magic.

Though what Flames being 'related to' Elemental Magic would mean, Harry had no idea, so he focused on the Rune Master again.

At their questioning expressions, Travers explained with returned enthusiasm. "Elemental Magic is based on the elements of nature such as Water or Stone and it is one of the Olde Magicks. Elementalists can be incredibly powerful as they can manipulate a natural element in its entirety. However, learning how to weave Elemental Magic requires an inborn affinity for a natural element which is hereditary and thus the ability is only very rarely seen nowadays."

Travers paused briefly making sure he still had their attention before continuing. "The dynamic around your core most closely resembles that of a Fire Elementalist, but it does not fit entirely. Additionally, you yourself would be able to identify it as elementalists have described the feeling as unfathomable heat of Fire around their core or as inescapable gravity of Stone at the center. So, Elemental Magic is unlikely."

At this point, Travers' frustration with the topic was becoming very clear, as he seemed peeved at having been unable to identify the nature of Harry's additional power.

No one said anything for a few moments before Harry carefully interjected with, "Well, to me it feels warm. Really warm. Like fluid, coiling warmth around my core. Does that - "

Travers had abruptly sat up in his chair and was staring at Harry with wide eyes. "Fluid warmth. But that - " Travers continued to stare at Harry for a moment before jumping from his chair and quickly moving to a low table by the book cases along the wall of the office, mumbling to himself. He easily picked out one of the books on the table before returning and quickly paging through the book, mumbling to himself. "Fluid warmth, they used that exact phrasing."

Harry looked over at Reborn who was still entirely focused on the Rune Master - though still aware of his Sky as evidenced by him smoothly pressing his thigh further against Harry's.

Harry really hoped that this ended peacefully. He had always liked Travers, his enthusiasm for his own field of study and his willingness to patiently explain even the most obscure kinds of magic to Harry. Although if Travers found an explanation for Flames in a book of all things and he never actually learned of the mafia from them… Omerta really shouldn't be affected by this. Harry forced himself to relax as they waited for the Rune Master's verdict.

"Here! Igneomancy. It is considered an intersection between Elemental and Prime Magic, with Fire as the underlying element of nature." Travers was almost bouncing in his chair with his excitement. "This is amazing! Igneomancy is astonishingly rare and there have only been a few cases that have ever actually been studied. The last British igneomancer was identified more than 150 years ago."

Harry was completely lost. Most of those terms meant nothing to him.

It must have shown on his face when the Rune Master looked up to share his enthusiasm, as Travers visibly forced himself to calm down. He coughed awkwardly, leaning back in his chair again and trying to cover his loss of composure. "Well… as I said, Igneomancy is considered an intersection of Elemental and Prime Magic, which follow almost opposed magical principles. Elemental Magic is based on the five Natural Elements, grants an incredible amount of power, but is very rare. In contrast, Prime Magic is based on non-physical Natural Aspects underlying nature such has heat, light or electricity and it is thus far more multifaceted than Elemental Magic. Prime Magic is also entirely instinctive and it is accepted that everyone has an inborn affinity for at least one Natural Aspect."

At this point they were just letting the Rune Master ramble on, glad for all the information they were gaining.

Travers was regaining his enthusiasm as he continued, "A lot of accidental magic in children is actually based on Prime Magic, as any access to instinctive magic is easier before stabilization of the magical core. After stabilization, Natural Aspects generally remain dormant, only affecting a wizard's affinity for specific spells that might be supported or opposed by his Natural Aspect. The Aspects also cover far more than their magical application as for example character traits have also been assigned to specific Aspects, such as insight or tranquility."

At this, Reborn felt himself become even more attentive. This was starting to sound eerily similar to Flames and like a perfect way to explain Flames to magicals. Hm, wouldn't that be convenient.

Travers paused as he tried to figure out whether he had forgotten anything. "Aspects are also essential factors in several magical disciplines, like personally adjusted wards, divination or rituals. Which is how I noticed actually, as my runic calculations simply didn't fit your magic anymore."

As the Rune Master animatedly continued his explanation, Harry almost wanted to smile at his obvious enthusiasm at the topic, almost bouncing in his seat and gesticulating wildly.

"However, Igneomancy is incredibly rare as not only does the wizard need to manifest his Natural Aspect but in addition it requires a latent affinity for Elemental Fire. The combination with various Natural Aspects such as radiance or electricity as the main offensive force gives Igneomantic Fire an incredibly wide range of manifestations. Still, as igneomancers can only manipulate the fire they themselves created and cannot affect natural fire they are not actually considered true elementalists, despite some igneomancers having the ability to draw strength directly from nature as only those with Elemental Magic can."

Here, the Rune Master became more careful. "Still, there are several details that should make Igneomancy impossible in your case. For example, igneomancers are known for having weak magic. I had not even considered Igneomancy as an option in your case due to its rarity and your magical strength."

Harry wanted to snort at that, it was considered impossible, so of course it would apply in his case.

"Also, it would require you to have activated your Natural Aspect which is not only dangerous due to adding onto an already stabilized magical core but it also requires a very close connection to your magic… Hm, maybe if your temporary loss of magic due to the resetting of your core reactivated your instinctive magic? And during the subsequent resettling of your magical core, it was integrated into your magic?" The Rune Master seemed dubious at this theory.

"Let me just have another look at the arrays from earlier…" Travers went searching through a stack of papers on his desk and then quietly focused, from time to time mumbling to himself and paging through a book next to him clearly looking for something.

Harry looked over at Reborn, who had been keeping the Rune Master in sight at all times, but he also seemed far more relaxed than before.

After a while, Travers spoke up again. "Igneomancy might actually fit based on the arrays. How astonishing! If you agree, I will prepare another set of arrays for your next appointment, to confirm and also to identify the specific Natural Aspect that is the basis for your igneomantic powers."

Travers waited for Harry's confirming nod before continuing. "I will have to check which design might be best suited. I could also lend you some literature, though I have to admit it's not much as there is still very little known about it."

Harry immediately answered. "That would be great. I assume most of these books cannot just be ordered?"

"You are right. Most of these are very rare tomes that I only have access to due to my guild and I will have to acquire permission to lend them to you. Which will only be possible with a clear reason." Travers paused for a moment. "I assume you would prefer to keep this quiet for now?"

Harry confirmed strongly. "Yes, at least until I have had time to get familiar with the topic myself. I have not yet dared to test this power as I was worried it might negatively affect my recovery."

"Oh, yes. I can reassure you, that its presence will not negatively affect your magical recovery. Still, it might be best to wait until you are cleared for general magic use before trying it out as there aren't really any cases to compare your situation to." Travers confirmed, bright-eyed with interest but knowing Harry enough by now not to ask to be included when he did test his Flames.

Harry was grateful for the man's insight.

They spent a bit more time discussing Igneomancy and various magical disciplines as well as how this might affect Harry's magic in the future.

Harry honestly thanked the Rune Master for his help and willingness to invest even more time. Though Travers assured him enthusiastically that it really was no problem at all and that Obscure Magicks were one of his interests. Harry never would have guessed.

In the end they agreed that Travers would make preparations for Harry's next appointment and get in contact in case there were any further questions.

Thankfully, Harry had set up a post box soon after the war - he was not going to consider how much mail had probably accumulated in the last few weeks - so he could still be contacted despite the wards surrounding his flat. During his absence, the wards had been set to reject all post no matter the sender, though the post from a few specified people was normally able to get past his wards. Everything else was collected at the post box. He even had an additional post box set aside for all letters addressed to any of his awarded titles, assuming that he would not really be interested in their content anyways.

Fawkes took them back to the apartment. There was a brief silence between them as Harry set down the books on the coffee table in front of the couch. He ventured, "Well, that was certainly unexpected."

"Indeed." Reborn replied from where he was preparing coffee as well as tea in the kitchen. "And dios mio, all that enthusiasm…"

Harry actually had to laugh at that. Travers had certainly seemed to be fascinated by the topic.

When Reborn returned from the kitchen with their drinks, they did not even try to get started on anything else and easily settled on the couch with a book from Travers. In the end, Reborn simply read from the book out loud instead of them trying to read the book at the same time.

It was actually pretty interesting and gave a great summary on various magical disciplines that Harry had never even heard of. They briefly looked over the chapters on Elemental Magic and Prime Magic. Travers had already covered most of what was mentioned in the book.

As Harry silently listened to his Sun read out loud, he thought to himself that if he had had Reborn read his school books to him he would have had no problem doing the assigned reading in Hogwarts. No problem at all. Dear Merlin, Reborn's voice was sinful.

Reborn found the section on Igneomancy which really seemed to be eerily similar to Flames in most aspects. The book emphasized the multitude and diversity of Natural Aspects, thus giving rise to a vast number of different hues of Igneomantic Fire.

The book generally separated igneomancers based on primary affinities for Natural Aspects, which not only determined the effect of the Igneomantic Fire but also its appearance and suited focus stones. Apparently, Igneomancy was considered to be closely related to certain focus stones depending on the underlying Natural Aspect. The stones apparently increased the ease of access and could even be used to store some of the igneomancer's power.

After reading through the interesting chapters, they discussed the new revelations over a quick lunch and afterwards Reborn decided to check on some of his contacts. He wanted to make certain that there was nothing going on in the Mafia World that he should know about.

* * *

It was easy to find the information he was looking for, but Reborn was irritated that even though it had not even been a week since he had last checked on his contacts and only three days since he left Italy there were numerous attempts to contact him. Far more than was reasonable for this short time span. Going by the messages themselves, they had been mainly designed to arrange a meeting with him and less to actually offer him a contract.

He was getting the feeling this might actually be about the Corocos and the technology Reborn had liberated from them, as some of the messages were clearly intended to bargain for information, something he wasn't usually known for. Still, he couldn't be entirely sure.

As he walked back towards the apartment Reborn considered the other revelations of the day. He was actually optimistic that as Travers had not only been aware of something like Flames beforehand and still had no knowledge of the mafia, Omerta had not been affected at all. Also, as there was apparently actual literature on the topic they couldn't really be blamed for someone else being aware of something like Flames.

To his disappointment the watcher did not return while he was wandering about outside. It would have been incredibly convenient if he could have hunted the person down and demand answers without putting his Sky at risk.

Harry might murder him though if he were to go off on his own. He sure had found himself a protective and headstrong Sky, that much was for certain. Reborn smirked.

Life was good.

* * *

While Reborn was busy Harry decided to get in contact with the various people he really should have contacted as soon as he had the option of asking Fawkes to deliver a message to anyone.

Going for the easiest letter first, he quickly sent a missive to Motley and Clarke asking for a meeting tomorrow.

Then Harry paused, pondering who else to contact.

While he wasn't entirely certain who exactly might have been involved in his removal from St. Mungo's there were some people he was immovably certain would never have agreed with anything being done to him while he was unconscious - not to even mention leaving him insufficiently protected in the Muggle World.

First he wrote to George. Not Fred and George. Not the twins. Just George.

Harry forced down the onslaught of painful memories.

If there was anyone in the Wizarding World Harry would count as family, having never abandoned him, always there to lighten his world with a prank or two, it would be Fred and George.

The twins had always been something of a safe haven for Harry. Ever since their first meeting at the train before his first year, Fred and George had kind of taken Harry under their wing. During their time at Hogwarts they had been always and unquestionably on his side, willing to just let him sit with them in the common room, getting rid of anyone - even their own siblings - by just looking like they might play a prank on everyone who thought of approaching their corner.

Through all his years at Hogwarts, Harry had never been plagued by their pranks, never been used as a test subject for their more inventive experiments, never been humiliated by them. By the twin's fourth year, Harry had been the only one in the entirety of Hogwarts who had been completely exempt from being targeted by them. Even including the upper years and the teachers.

The twins had simply understood. Understood how Harry hated his role in society, hated people just assigning him a label, hated the fickleness of the people around him, hated being used and discarded repeatedly, hated being singled out all the time - be it in school or in the press or in the war or however else.

After the Final Battle, George had been the only one Harry had kept in regular contact with no matter his other obligations.

George had always been the quieter one of the twins, slightly more introverted and tending to let his twin speak for the both of them. On the other hand Fred had been the less vindictive one, often curbing his brother's vicious streak. Fred had been the planner, George the inventor. Both had always been immovably loyal.

Not that anyone ever noticed the differences, because to almost everyone - even most of their own bloody family - the twins seemed to be something of a singular being. Barely anyone ever saw the need to differentiate between them.

The thought of losing Fred still had a painful ache burning through Harry. But he reminded himself that he still had George and how much more George must be hurting at the loss of his other half.

In the weeks after the war Harry had visited George regularly at the shop, even though their meetings had been almost entirely one-sided, simply because George had been near catatonic during that time.

Harry had taken to bringing his various stacks of paperwork with him to the joke shop and work through it there, while George worked on potions or spells or whatever else he could think of in companionable silence. Sometimes he would just sit down right next to Harry or lay on the couch with his feet in Harry's lap, clearly seeking the reassurance of another presence at his side. It had not only helped George but it had been pretty much the only regular interaction with anyone Harry had had during that time. To be honest, he had not really missed being hounded by everyone else. At all.

George had barely said a word through most of their meetings, just focusing on inventing, experiments, the shop. Anything to distract himself from the gaping hole at his side, where Fred was supposed to be.

He had also been one of the very few whom Harry had informed of his treatment at St. Mungo's beforehand. Even if only so George wouldn't worry when Harry stopped showing up for their regular meetings - official arrangement or no - unannounced.

Harry shook himself from his memories and started on the letter. It was actually quite brief, letting George know that he was back in London and that he would be visiting his shop within the next few days.

Thinking about it, Harry was actually looking forward to introducing George and Reborn. He had a feeling that they would get along quite well with their tendency to unobtrusively fade into the background if they wanted to and causing chaos whenever they didn't.

Harry grinned. The Wizarding World just might not survive their meeting.

The next two letters Harry wrote were to Neville and Luna, both of whom had left the country to go traveling with Luna's father to search for fantastic animals and rare plants. Harry knew they had mainly wanted to get out of Britain for a while. Especially Luna had needed the distance and Harry had been in full support of them leaving the country for a while.

Actually, he had no idea whether they were even aware of Harry having disappeared from the Wizarding World at all. Though as he had no idea where they were currently staying and whether the sudden appearance of a phoenix would be appreciated he decided to send their letters from the owl office tomorrow.

Neville and Luna had always been incredibly loyal friends and he had missed them during their absence. They seemed to understand the kind of devotion Harry himself felt for his friends and were very willing to reciprocate with the same level of loyalty. So very different from most of the Wizarding World, the Order, Ron and Hermione…

Despite having had quite some time to sort through various possible reasons for the actions that had led to him being _bought_ by the mafia, he had yet to come up with anything that even remotely satisfied him. Harry was still so incredibly _angry_ at all of them.

It also reminded him of the conversation that had sent Reborn into an utter fury. The story of how he had been moved from the hospital by _his friends and allies_.

Harry still hadn't really talked about his messed up childhood at the Dursleys', but he had a feeling that Reborn had pieced most of it together by now anyhow. Harry had never been subtle about his treatment at the hands of his relatives. It had simply seemed like no one ever really cared enough or even wanted to put the facts together.

Still, it had been enough to just tell his Sun about the people he trusted being almost directly responsible for putting him in harm's way to leave Reborn in a towering fury.

In order to distract himself from his rising anger when thinking about the hypocrisy of the Wizarding World, Harry asked Fawkes to deliver his letter to George and then decided look through the books in his study, hoping to find something that might have some more information on any of their various research topics.

Harry started to sort through the various tomes. He had originally picked the books from his vaults just at random, simply intending to fill his study.

Immediately three piles - possibly useful, possibly amusing, entirely useless - were formed. Though Harry was slowed down when he found one that might have been promising just based on the title 'Fire of the Soul' but turned out to be a historical romance novel. Supposedly.

By the time Reborn returned to the apartment Harry was giggling - manly giggles, chuckling actually - at the complete ridiculousness of the story. If all of the Wizarding World's fiction was anything like this, it was no wonder there were barely any fictional books to be found in magical libraries.

Reborn couldn't help grinning at the image his Sky presented, sitting on the floor leant against the lone arm chair in the study, in the midst of piles of books, giggling himself to tears. Though the picture of Harry's tousled hair and slightly reddened cheeks from laughter had Reborn's thoughts drifting into a not so innocent direction. Dios mio, his Sky was adorable.

While Reborn set about preparing dinner, Harry giggled his way through an explanation of the so-called plot of the book describing the tumultuous journey of Elfreda the Endowed being courted by Theobald the Thunderous.

Reborn actually snorted a few times at Harry's depiction of the book.

They spent the rest of the evening reading and conversing, just enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Harry was lying awake. As usual he was curled against Reborn's side with his head rested on his Sun's chest.

Harry pondered the revelations of the day and what they had learned just now from the various books.

Igneomancy was starting to look more and more like an actual explanation for Flames using magical terms. Though there were enough discrepancies that neither Reborn nor Harry were quite certain whether Igneomancy was just another term for activated Flames or might actually be something else entirely.

For one, while the general setup seemed very similar to Flames, taking Natural Aspects into account, Igneomancy seemed far more varied than the seven Flame types of the Mafia World. On the other hand Reborn had also mentioned that there quite a number of other Flames some so very rare that only a single individual had ever been known to possess them.

One of the books also mentioned that Igneomantic Fire was seen in various colors, most of which fit perfectly with the colors of Dying Will Flames. The books even described the forming of close-nit groups of igneomancers with almost opposing Natural Aspects, but no actual bonding was mentioned.

So far they also hadn't found any mention of life-force or soul being relevant in Igneomancy. Igneomantic Fire was assumed to originate in a wizard's magical core, same as with Elemental Magic.

Harry was starting to think that either Igneomancy actually described the same thing as Flames or that if there had ever been any other wizards with activated Flames they had just mixed in with igneomancers, either purposely claiming the same power or simply not knowing any better.

It also seemed very suspicious that the appearance of igneomancers had suddenly stopped almost 200 years ago and Reborn had postulated that if it really was the case that only wizards with very weak magic activated these powers, they might have just been assimilated by the mafia, never learning of magic at all, or keeping silent about a world they were supposedly not a part of due to their weak magic.

Based on the books, it could even be assumed that there might be quite a number of wizards out there that had activated their Natural Aspects but as they never manifested a Fire affinity, they did not develop their Flames.

Though as most of this was still guesswork, they had decided to go visit Gringotts tomorrow and look through Harry's vaults for more books with information on Igneomancy.

Still, it was truly reassuring to Harry that Reborn could now use his Flames in the Magical World if it ever became a necessity, without fearing any backlash from the Wizarding World for an unexplained power or from the Mafia World for breaking Omerta. They could even ask Travers to back up their claims if things went wrong.

Still, they would try to keep Harry's Flames a secret if at all possible. Harry had no intention of claiming an incredibly not-seen-for-a-hundred-years power in addition to his magic.

No way.

He was fine with Reborn claiming the spotlight in that case. Even though Harry doubted Reborn would have any need to reveal his Flames anytime soon, going by what they had seen yesterday in Kingsley's office. The Aurors sure hadn't known how to react to Reborn. Harry grinned with smug satisfaction into his Sun's chest.

Taking a quick peek up at Reborn's face to make sure he was still asleep, Harry pressed himself even further into the warmth of his Sun's side. He sighed happily at the smell he had come to associate with his Guardian. The smell of sun-warmed skin, coffee and a mixture of other things that he couldn't quite figure out yet.

Harry didn't mind. He had time to figure it out. Lots of time.

* * *

Reborn opened his eyes to look down at where his Sky had curled further into his side, looking soft and content in his arms.

He smiled slightly and feeling his Sky fall into a deep sleep, he finally let himself drift off as well.

* * *

A/N: Phew, that was a lot of explanations. I'm really sorry for the delay, but I kind of got stuck on this chapter and how to best explain Igneomancy. I hope the explanation wasn't too convoluted.

This is actually the rest of what I had originally intended for the last chapter... sorry it turned out so monologue-y :) In exchange, the next chapter will have Gringotts, the appearance of their watcher and probably one of the clashes with the sheeple.

Chapter 12 review responses:

You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the reviews and keeping me so invested in this story! Some people even guessed the identity of their watcher… :)

To writer2000z and anthea tronchard step: Thanks for reviewing again! Reborn will meet George soon, but I can't tell you when he will get to meet the rest of the Weasleys. Probably soon though.

To kailaleela: Thanks for your review! I'm sorry to say that it will be quite some time until Namimori comes into play as this is even before the Arcobaleno. The story will get there at some point… :)

To iBeta: Thank you for reviewing yet again! Harry will definitely train for magic-less combat sometime soon and Reborn will be handling most of his training. Even though Reborn might be either too soft or too hard on his Sky, I also don't think he would be willing to hand off the training to someone possibly less qualified than him :)


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: Don't own.

It's so fluffy!

Continues the next day.

* * *

Chapter 14

Reborn was enjoying watching his little Sky flit about the kitchen in his pyjamas while preparing breakfast. Harry looked wonderfully relaxed in his soft flannel pants - too long and covering most of his feet - and a large t-shirt - reaching his upper thighs and slipping slightly to the right, exposing his collar bone.

Reborn himself had already changed into his usual clothes, though still missing his tie and suit jacket. Additionally, his shirt was still not entirely buttoned and going by Harry's frequent glances in his direction and his near permanent blush, this was definitely met with approval. Reborn did nothing to suppress the grin threatening to spread across his face. He would definitely be making this his regular morning dress code from now on.

Harry was doing his best to keep his focus on their conversation and away from Reborn himself. Somehow, seeing his Sun with his usually neat, rather formal attire disheveled was incredibly appealing to Harry. The glimpses he was constantly getting of Reborn's upper chest were definitely not helping his focus any.

He knew Reborn had noticed. How could he not have, with Harry initially trailing off in the middle of a sentence once or twice. Reborn's smug grin kind of gave it away as well. Harry barely kept himself from huffing - he wasn't pouting, really, he wasn't - and forced himself to keep up their conversation despite his lack of focus.

They were discussing their visit to Gringotts.

Motley and Clarke had already responded to his letter yesterday that they would free their afternoon for him and meet him at Gringotts later in the day. Harry had taken to meet his lawyers in one of the conference rooms at Gringotts due to the high security there decreasing the risk of anyone overhearing their discussions.

In his last letter, Harry had asked his lawyers about registering a bond without making it general knowledge. They had recommended to have the goblins test, certify and file the bond. It would make their bond indefeasible based on Wizarding Law and also offer additional witnesses in case it ever became a necessity.

Harry had been screwed over by the Wizarding World far too often to not want to have precautions in place.

Given the press' usual reaction to anything Savior-related the lawyers had agreed that only registering the bond at Gringotts - anywhere outside of the ministry, really - might be the best option. This way their bond would hopefully remain a secret, until they themselves decided to reveal its existence.

Motley and Clarke now also knew about his bond to Reborn, but Harry had not mentioned it being a _soul_ bond and just made it out to be a normal magical bond. Which would be just as permanent anyways.

Harry trusted his lawyers and was certain they wouldn't intentionally give the information away. But safe was always better than sorry - he had heard 'I'm so sorry' far too often in his life already - and this was too important to risk getting out. Even if only by someone forcing their way into either of his lawyers' minds.

Goblins had no such problems. No wizard accomplished at Occlumency would try to enter the mind of a being of a different species. All magical creatures had natural mind barriers and a clash with a magical being's mind never ended well for the wizard involved.

Right after breakfast Harry asked Fawkes to deliver a letter to Sharpwell, the goblin who had been handling most of his affairs ever since he had merged his two accounts.

Reborn cleaned up the kitchen while Harry got dressed into his usual clothes of jeans and t-shirt. Then they moved to the living area of the apartment while waiting for Sharwell's response. Reborn decided to use the time to continue reading up on Occlumency. Now that they had Igneomancy as a cover for Flames in the Magical World, Occlumency was definitely the topic he wanted to cover next. Someone screwing with his mind? Not happening, he thought scornfully as he felt malicious irritation spike through him.

Reborn picked one of the books on Occlumency Brixton had given them during Harry's last appointment at St. Mungo's along with an amulet. The amulet was an assurance until Reborn figured out how to defend his mind from magical attacks himself. It would defend your mind from most Mind Magics and if it was overpowered would at the very least give warning of someone trying to enter your mind. In that case, Reborn could always incinerate the offender - whoever was stupid enough to try - where they stood.

Harry interestedly looked over at his Sun when he felt something like anticipation pulse along their bond. He internally shrugged and settled on the couch with Fawkes and Leon.

Reborn paused in his reading to watch them - his little Sky curled up on the couch while cuddling their companions - and grinned at the adorableness of it all.

Harry pointedly ignored him and Leon and Fawkes imitated his Sky haughtily.

Reborn thought it was just about the most adorable thing he had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

* * *

Arriving in Sharpwell's office - the goblin had given permission for Fawkes to transport them directly to his office - Fawkes actually remained settled on Harry's shoulder for once.

Reborn almost wanted to comment about the phoenix not being satisfied by their cuddle session earlier. He refrained. Though just barely. And mainly because of their audience.

As though knowing very well, what Reborn was thinking, his Sky sent a reproachful look up at him. Which didn't really turn out all that impressive, considering there was a phoenix cooing on his shoulder while nestling into the side of Harry's neck.

Reborn just barely managed to keep a straight face under Harry's regard.

Huffing slightly, his Sky turned to the other occupant in the room, giving a slight nod to the goblin behind the ornate desk. No actual greetings were exchanged.

They settled in the chairs across from the goblin who immediately got down to business. After affirming that there were no pressing matters with his investments to take care of - Harry had left his lawyers in charge for the duration of his stay at the hospital - the goblin handed Harry another document with a list of names.

"There have been numerous contributions made to your accounts and several clients left their assets to the Savior at their passing. As requested these monies have been set aside in a separate account and await your assignment." At this Sharpwell looked deeply disapproving, clearly remembering Harry and his lawyers discussing investing these monies in charities.

Harry however was surprised by Sharpwell's comment. "Their _assets_?"

"Their assets. Including money, artifacts and residences." Sharpwell confirmed aggravated.

Harry paused. That was unexpected.

Right after the war people had started transferring money to him - Harry had initially been offended at the thought of money as a compensation for his sacrifices - but after a bit of thought, he had realized that for the normal wizard this might be the only way they knew how to say thank you at all.

So, he had tried to find uses for it.

He had decided to invest the money in charities, even more so when Motley had informed him that actual charities were not really a thing in the Wizarding World. So, Harry was considering starting his own. He had no intention of running a charity himself, but he was planning to finance one.

Fawkes shuffled on his shoulder, bringing Harry out of his thoughts and reminding him that they still had some things to do before his lawyers got here. Like filing their bond. As they had no way of knowing what the test would actually show due to Flames _and_ magic being involved he wanted to get the testing out of the way before the lawyers' arrival.

He looked up to find Sharpwell impatiently waiting for Harry to either bring up any requests or to get out of his office. Goblins definitely liked to be efficient with their time.

Accordingly, Harry simply stated, "I would like to register a soulbond with Gringotts." There. That was as brief as he could possibly make it.

Harry thought he might actually have seen Sharpwell's eyes widen slightly - a bit… maybe? - before the goblin sent a deeply suspicious look in Reborn's direction. Harry had to admit, the suspicion was understandable. Just his wealth alone was enough to suspect foul play of some sort.

Though Sharpwell was clearly irritated when Reborn only responded to his glare with a bored stare and after a while of enduring said glare by slightly raising an eyebrow.

Goblins were definitely used to having more of an intimidating effect on people, that much was for sure.

Irritated, the goblin inquired sharply, "Based on which bonding ritual?"

"There was no ritual involved. The bond was formed naturally." Harry stated, well aware how ridiculous this sounded. Natural soulbonds were rare. Legendary kind of rare.

Now Sharpwell was clearly torn between calling Harry an idiot for that claim and accusing Reborn of foul play and fraud. Possibly considering doing both.

Though at Fawkes' reprimanding shuffle the goblin seemed to almost shrug and finally turned around to a large chest behind him and pulled out a document as well as two potion bottles from one of the many drawers.

The goblin set the document down on the table - Harry could see a circular inscription of runes on the lower half of parchment around a central rune - before slowly pouring first a dark blue, then a clear potion into an elaborately decorated chalice.

"One drop of blood onto the central rune, both of you." Sharpwell stated while handing both of them a dagger.

Harry could only tell due to their bond that his Sun was getting aggravated by the lack of explanation, even though they were both very interested in actually seeing the ritual. Still, outwardly entirely calm his Guardian reached for both daggers, handing one to Harry.

They did as Sharpwell had instructed.

Then, unexpectedly, the goblin simply poured the entire potion mixture from the chalice onto the parchment in the middle of the runic circle. However, instead of spilling over the entire sheet, the potion - in the instant it touched the central rune - formed a dense bluish mist that hovered directly over the paper in the constraints of the runic circle.

It was quite mesmerizing.

For a while nothing happened. Then, as though driven by an unfelt breeze the mist began moving slightly and going through a wide range of colors before dispersing abruptly.

Focusing on the parchment again, Harry could see that the mist had left behind dense runic writing around the original rune circle. As well as a silver-blue shimmering gem stone as large as Harry's thumbnail set in a strangely shimmering metal on top of the central rune.

The stone looked a bit like moonstone, but the blue and silver veins pervading the mostly clear stone seemed to be moving slightly and to almost glow from within the gem.

Having no idea how the ritual was supposed to go, Harry looked up at Sharpwell again, unlike Reborn who had never let the goblin out of his sight in the first place.

There was a slight pause as the goblin stared at the parchment. Then he glanced up, sharply focusing on Reborn. But after a few moments of considering Reborn Sharpwell abruptly returned to his professional demeanor and stated. "Gringotts will register a naturally formed bond in soul and magic. After you fill in the required information."

After a brief pause Reborn interestedly picked up the stone, while Harry started filling out most of the document before passing it over to Reborn who only took a few moments to fill in the rest.

When the document was completed - blood quill signatures and all - Sharpwell claimed it with surprising eagerness, looking over the information before letting it quickly vanish into a different drawer than it had come from.

Then the goblin unceremoniously pulled out yet another parchment with a list of dates and names. He handed it to Harry, while stating, "During your absence, a number of people have tried to gain access to either side of your account, citing various reasons, from you not being the true head of house Black, to looking for a possible clue to your whereabouts in your vaults."

Sharpwell's words were dripping with disdain, but also anticipation as the goblin knew that Harry was very willing to get his compensation for any transgressions against himself.

Harry felt fury burn through him at the last part. So, they tried looking for him in his _vaults_ after he had disappeared, had they?

He forced himself to remain calm when he felt Reborn's Flames curl languidly _menacingly_ around their bond. He glanced over at his Sun who appeared entirely relaxed where he was sitting slightly slouched in his seat. And even though Reborn's suit and tie were about as muggle as could be in these very clearly magical surroundings, he still made for the most impressive display of uncompromising confidence Harry had ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Thinking about it, with Reborn in his life Harry probably wouldn't have to worry about any offenders getting away without paying for their transgressions in full.

Harry suppressed an appreciative shiver. Again.

And apparently, Sharpwell had sensed the menacing confidence practically oozing from Reborn as well, as he nodded with a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes. Suddenly the goblin seemed to very much approve of Reborn.

"The list includes all relevant names, but your lawyers were also kept informed and provided with any pertinent information." Sharpwell supplied. Goblins liked to be helpful if they saw potential benefits for themselves and Harry increasing his wealth would definitely benefit Sharpwell. Harry had no problems with this attitude as goblins were uncompromisingly honest about their stance on this, having no compunctions about stating this fact clearly and repeatedly.

He decided to actively ignore the list in his hands for now, knowing that depending on the names on this list he would lose his composure entirely. He would have time for that later. Harry felt Fawkes nestle into the side of his neck, even further calming him.

Now that the goblin's demeanor had gotten slightly more agreeable again, Harry asked, "During the ritual, what was the significance of the stone?"

The question though got him an aggravated look and the oh-so-informative answer of, "The stone confirms the presence of a bond. The material identifies the nature of the bond."

Harry wanted to sigh and decided they might just as well pick up a book on bond-identifying rituals from his vault while they were at it.

Which reminded him. "I would like to access my artifact vault." Harry requested.

Within moments, a younger goblin entered the office at some sort of unseen signal.

"Goblin Gnish, take the client to vault 87." With that Sharpwell turned to the paperwork on his desk, clearly done with Harry and Reborn.

As they left the office Harry could tell that Reborn was definitely bemused by the goblin manners he had witnessed here.

Harry could relate.

* * *

Vault 87 - or 'the artifact vault' as Harry had taken to calling it - actually consisted of several rooms that were separated into areas and contained something of everything and anything you could possibly imagine.

Including an insane number of non-moving portraits of people, most of which seemed not to be related to the Potters or the Blacks in any way so he had no idea why they were stored there at all.

There was also quite a significant amount of space assigned to armory, house-hold utensils and clothing. Though why anyone would feel the need to store their clothes in a high-security vault was still not at all clear to Harry. Wizards.

And Harry had not yet dared to even try sorting through what he called the knick-knack section.

Still, the books took up more space than anything else in the vault and covered a wide array of literature. There were books on any topic Harry could possibly have thought of, and numerous topics he wouldn't possibly have been able to imagine. The bookshelves themselves reached the ceiling and there were actually several movable shelves stacked in front of each other.

Reborn seemed definitely interested in everything he was seeing here, but as their meeting with the lawyers would be soon, they quickly focused on the collection of books.

Harry had learned the first time he was here, that the books were not in any sort of order as they had just been added randomly to the humongous shelves around the vault. To his utmost relieve, there had however been a list of book titles which a goblin had irritatedly pointed out to him then. Stating a title out loud while holding the list conveniently summoned the book directly from the shelves.

With Reborn reading over his shoulder, the two of them - Fawkes had taken off as soon as they neared the carts to the vaults - quickly started picking out book titles that might be interesting or relevant to their various research topics.

There were several with relatively generic titles, such as 'Obscure Arts' or 'Forgotten Magicks', some titles were more along the lines of 'Mysterious and Murky: A Guide to Minor and Misrepresented Magics', but there were also some that seemed very promising such as 'Elemental or Elementary?'. Some would probably turn out to be more ridiculous than helpful such as 'Nurturing the Flame Within' or 'The Essence of Fire'.

Harry couldn't help giggle at the reminder of the romance novel he had read yesterday, 'Fire of the Soul'.

Though he immediately felt a flush creep up his neck when Reborn tightened his arm around Harry in reaction.

From where Reborn was mostly curled around his Sky under the pretense of reading over his shoulder, he possessively eyed the slight flush spreading over Harry's cheeks. He might have to revisit the thought of locking his innocent little Sky away from the world, keep Harry to himself entirely.

In the end they picked close to 50 books from the list. Harry grabbed one of the many book bags stacked in the corner and collected their chosen books before they asked Gnish to take them back to the upper levels for the meeting with Motley and Clarke.

* * *

The meeting with his lawyers was efficient as usual and took up comparatively little of their time.

Though, Clarke had briefly stared wide-eyed at Reborn when he appeared behind Harry, before turning with a clearly approving - almost congratulatory - expression towards Harry. Harry hadn't known whether to feel smug or embarrassed.

Reborn's grin at the situation certainly hadn't helped any.

Immediately afterwards his lawyers had quite understandably wanted to boot Reborn from the confidential meeting despite the bond. Harry had refused, keeping his amusement at the mental image of the two lawyers trying to force Reborn into anything to himself.

Afterwards the meeting went smoothly.

Clarke had already compiled law suits against anyone who had tried to access any of Harry's vaults in his absence.

Harry was so very relieved that there was not a single name of anyone he trusted on the list he had been provided with. Though the Ministry - either under the heading of Doge or Savage - had tried to argue their case multiple times.

It wasn't really all that surprising, as Reborn and Harry had already been convinced that Savage might become a problem on several levels after meeting her in Kingsley's office. And Doge had made it very obvious that he intended to use Harry's name as a tool to get his own position elevated.

Harry gave Clarke the go ahead to claim whatever she could, monetary or otherwise, from the offenders.

They spent the rest of the meeting talking about any remaining issues.

Harry also realized during the meeting that he had never actually told Reborn just how much money he had at his disposal. And he didn't think his Sun had enjoyed being surprised like this. In his defense, he himself hadn't yet quite process just _how_ wealthy he was.

Regarding the charities, Motley had come well prepared and produced a stack of documents that would be needed in order to set up an independent charity.

Clarke had also gotten her cousin and brother - the other owners of the Clarke Solicitors law firm - involved, to help work through everything. Her cousin Lewis Clarke had compiled a list of possible candidates for running a charity in Harry's stead.

Harry agreed to take the files home to read through, so they could get the charity started as soon as possible.

* * *

The next two days passed quickly. There was surprisingly little time actually spent researching, though they still spent the evenings on the couch reading and conversing.

Harry was constantly working through a seemingly ever growing pile of paperwork from his lawyers or Gringotts or his postbox and Reborn had been immersing himself in the information provided by his contacts in the Mafia World.

Reborn didn't like being out of the loop and after checking up on his contacts yesterday he felt the need to confirm why so many people were suddenly trying to contact him for anything but his abilities as a hitman. It irritated him.

Travers had managed to refrain for an entire day before apparently not being able to help himself anymore and contacting Harry to ask a slew of questions. Though to the man's utter disappointment he had to attend a meeting of his guild during Harry's next healer appointment so he would be unable to provide the arrays to look into his status as an igneomancer.

Travers had sounded so crestfallen when he had told them, that Harry had almost wanted to console him. Still, Travers was sure that he would be able to find someone who knew more about Igneomancy or had some additional literature on the topic at the guild meeting. He earnestly promised Harry that he would not reveal Harry possibly being an igneomancer and do his best to just claim general interest.

Going by the man's near childish delight when talking about anything even remotely obscure, he had no doubt that Travers' colleagues would easily believe him on that front.

To Harry's aggravation, despite most wanting to go visit George, what little time he was permitted to spend in the Wizarding World was entirely spent in various meetings with his lawyers or Travers.

Though the only reason Harry was actually willing to delay his visit by a few days was that George's response to his letter finally sounding mostly like the George he knew again.

The redhead's vindictiveness had certainly shone through again when mentioning the Order and their messing with Harry's recovery.

Well, at least Harry wouldn't have to worry about George and Reborn getting along in that regard.

Now, they were exchanging letters several times a day. Though at some point Harry had voiced his worry that he might be asking too much of Fawkes, constantly sending him to deliver letters between him and George. In reaction Fawkes had actually scoffed at him. Harry hadn't known phoenixes even could scoff.

Still, Fawkes tended to stay with George until the redhead had the time to respond to Harry's last letter. Sometimes hours at a time. It definitely made Harry feel better to know how very soothing the phoenix's presence would be to George's state of mind.

In one of his missives, George also let him know that while Fawkes was waiting for him to write his reply to Harry, the phoenix was having fun scaring the crap out of his customers by pretending to be a decoration on the counter before abruptly bursting into flames whenever someone came close to touching him.

Reborn had commented in passing - from where he was sorting through information provided by his contacts in the mafia - that only Harry could manage to find the one phoenix in existence with a twisted sense of humor.

Yes, Reborn and George would have no problems getting along. The Wizarding World wouldn't know what hit them.

Harry grinned and resolved to introduce the two of them as soon as possible.

* * *

To everyone's relief, the healers declared Harry's magic recovered enough for him to start using it again during his visit to St. Mungo's, though preferably in small steps. Harry was elated and had only just kept himself from starting to shoot sparks from his wand right away by reminding himself that he had no idea how his Flames would react to him using his magic.

Seeing his elation, Madam Pomfrey had pointed out sardonically, that Harry should still try to avoid any of his more spectacular adventures.

Reborn had agreed and - while Harry was getting instructions from Mediwizard Biran on how to best go about getting used to his magic again - made his way over to Madam Pomfrey. Harry watched from the corner of his eye how his Sun and his school nurse quickly settled into an intense conversation.

The vindictive light in their eyes and their satisfied expressions didn't bode well. For whoever was unlucky enough to be their topic of conversation.

Well, Harry would plead innocence. He knew nothing.

He focused on Biran again who was explaining what signs to look out for while he got used to any possible differences of his magical flow compared to before his treatment.

Biran actually had no idea just how many differences there were to Harry's magical core at this point.

* * *

So far, Reborn had preferred to keep his Flames from manifesting physically before they found a good explanation for them in the Magical World, but he had given Harry a few quick impressions of them.

Harry had loved the warmth radiating from his Guardian with the use of his Flames, loved the intent and enjoyment on Reborn's face, really loved how the Flames had curled around his fingers when he went to touch them.

Reborn had initially looked surprised when Harry had only felt warmth when touching his Sun Flames. Though he amended that it was probably due to their bond. If it wasn't, Harry was blaming the Potter luck. Nothing ever went the way it was supposed to as long as he was involved.

Harry was really looking forward to trying out his Flames, spreading them, mixing them with his magic outside of his core.

So, when they returned to their apartment from St. Mungo's, Harry didn't even pretend to get started on anything else but his Flames and magic. Instead just turned to his Sun waiting for instructions.

Reborn actually had to blink once at the huge green eyes suddenly blinking up at him from his Sky's face. Well damn. Hopefully, Harry never figured out that with just that one look, Reborn would simply agree. It wouldn't even matter what he was agreeing to, he would just be nodding along.

Dios mio, no one had ever affected him like this. He was so very happily doomed.

Not even attempting to resist, Reborn moved to prepare them something to drink while he started on an explanation of how to best pull at his Flames, while avoiding the outpouring of an uncontrollable amount.

Normally, he would be taking anyone who was going to use their Flames for the first time somewhere remote, in order to avoid massive destruction of their surroundings. However, he had seen Harry's astonishing control even right after having his Flames forcefully activated. While being prodded at by various other Flames users. In an extremely stressful situation. While barely lucid.

Reborn wasn't worried about Harry losing control over his Flames. And even if he did. This was his Sky, their Flames had harmonized. Reborn could use his Flames to soothe and contain Harry's.

Harry had listened closely to his Guardian's explanation of how to use his Flames. Still, he decided to first try out his newly settled magic to see how that went, before attempting to use his Flames.

Reborn watched interestedly from the couch as Harry almost giddily drew his wand.

Harry focused internally for a moment, focused on his core, on the flow of his magic. His magic was already surging slightly clearly anticipating being let out after such a long time, ready to act on Harry's will at the slightest indication.

He couldn't help but smile and simply flicked his wand. A shower of bright golden sparks briefly illuminated the room. Harry couldn't help but laugh in elation. How he had missed this feeling, the feeling of his magic flowing within him and around him.

His magic was surging happily, pressing to be let out, to do more. Another flick of his wand, more sparks, but this time they did not actually dissipate as before, but rather floated in the air around him, seemingly only moved by the slight breeze coming from the open window and spreading further throughout the room.

Looking over to the couch, he could see the clear interest on Reborn's face. His Guardian had leant forward in his seat and actually lifted a hand to move through some of the sparks hovering close to him.

At Harry's change in focus, his magic seemed to suddenly hone in on Reborn's presence beyond its own delight of being let out again.

Harry watched slightly wide-eyed as his magic - and most of the sparks in the room not hovering near Harry himself - surged towards Reborn, twisting in the air around his Sun in endless coils, never stilling.

After a few moments, Reborn looked up at Harry and grinned fiercely.

Harry knew that the feeling of utter delight his magic always seemed to transport whenever it was happy was infectious. His magic's sentiments were always on the extreme end of the spectrum, usually landing anywhere from joyful delight to crippling lament to malicious wrath to serene contentment.

Harry had never dared to ask anyone directly whether their magic felt like this to them as well. The few times he had tried to nudge a conversation in that direction during his Hogwarts years, he had been laughed at just for the question whether magic was sentient. So - even though he knew better - he had given up on that conversation. His magic was very much sentient, though in tune with Harry's emotions, his thoughts.

And now, his magic was happily curling within him, but still dissatisfied, waiting.

And suddenly Harry felt ridiculous in his care about using his magic again. His magic had always been willing to do whatever it could to fulfill his wishes, always eager to follow his command no matter the intent. And in his apartment which was warded with everything just short of the Fidelius Charm - after his history he had developed a clear aversion to the spell - he could let go.

So, briefly glancing at Reborn, Harry did. He let go. Freed his magic from its near constant restraint. Immediately his magic spread to fill the room, the apartment, anything in reach within the wards.

Reborn was captivated. Just the amount of magic densely filling the room… It felt as though instead of air, he was _breathing_ _magic_.And in contrast to any Flames he had ever felt, there was nothing oppressive about Harry's magic. It felt lively and joyful.

His Sky seemed to be basking in the feel of his magic for a few moments before calling it back to himself, though not really hiding it away, more calling it closer to himself.

Harry was elated to feel his magic again and he was so looking forward to adding his Flames to the mix. He focused inward again, carefully and intently tugging at the feeling of warmth around his core. His Flames answered eagerly - spreading outward guided by his magic - and Harry's entire world was bathed in an orange glow, the golden sparks still filling the room just enhancing the visual.

It was breathtaking.

Reborn had been fascinated by the display of magic. Not so much the golden sparkly light show, but the feeling of Harry's magic and the expression of utter joy on his Sky's face. That was certainly an expression Reborn could get used to seeing on Harry's face. Maybe even putting it there…

Reborn was abruptly brought from his not so innocent thoughts by the feeling of Harry's Flames filling the room.

He watched as his Sky activated his Flames without any form of aid to channel them. Sky Flames were lazily winding their way up Harry's arms and there seemed to be no need for Harry to exert additional control over his Flames, or curb their progress.

Harry watched wide-eyed as the Flames continued to gather around his arms, slowly curling upwards until most of the Flames that had filled the room were instead focused around his arms from above his wrists to just below his shoulders, like fiery snakes coiled around his arms.

And at the feeling of Harry's Flames gathering around their user, Reborn couldn't help but reach for his own Flames, letting them spread through the room. Harry's Flames seemed to almost whip towards the newly presented Sun Flames, surging towards them just as Reborn's Flames did the same.

The feeling of both of their Flames mixing and winding around each other was magnificent. Flames filling the room, coiling around them, around their bond.

Sun and Sky. Harmonized.

Reborn had listened for years as others talked about this. They hadn't even come close to describing the feeling of having his own Sky's Flames surround him. He closed his eyes. Just for a moment, basking in the feeling of utter contentment emanating from his own Flames. His Flames which for once were quiet, calm, almost still when compared to their usual constant movement, always surging and active - Activation was a Sun Flame's ability for a reason.

Reborn released an inaudible breath. This feeling. This was home.

Harry watched with bright eyes, even as he felt the exhaustion pull at him. He reminded himself, that Biran had specifically told him not to overdo it the first few times he used his magic. He had entirely forgotten in his delight.

Adding the use of his Flames to using his magic, this was probably far more than the healers had intended for him to do right away. He felt his thoughts confirmed, even as he started pulling his Flames and magic back into himself, as the edges around his visions started to darken.

The last thing he saw, was his Sun suddenly in front of him as he sagged into Reborn's chest. Going by his Guardian's expression they would be having words about him overexerting himself right away.

But for now, Harry was content to let go of his consciousness, in the knowledge of having his magic back with him and of being completely safe in Reborn's presence.

Reborn looked down at his Sky where he was pliantly resting against his chest and almost wanted to shake his head. The cute ones were always the most trouble.

* * *

The next morning they decided to go to the café down the street again for breakfast and later on visit George at his shop in Diagon Alley.

Reborn knew that visiting the same café - at exactly the same time, in the same company, after having been discovered there before - would be a clear sign for anyone who knew him to show themselves. So, Reborn had briefed Harry on various scenarios for this meeting, doing whatever he could to prepare his Sky.

Now that Harry was recovered and could use his magic again to defend himself if needed, Reborn felt better about dragging his Sky into potential danger. He still didn't like it, but so far it seemingly hadn't even occurred to Harry to ask Reborn to stay behind for any of the meetings in the Magical World. Reborn would be damned if he was going to force a break in their easy trust for any reason.

Meanwhile, Harry was actually trying to hide his excitement, as he was really looking forward to meeting any of Reborn's acquaintances. His unending curiosity was rearing its head again.

Harry was quite fascinated by the thought of Reborn communicating his agreement to meet someone simply by showing up twice in the same place. The Mafia World sure seemed to be filled with paranoid people. Still, Harry had to admit, he was insanely curious about the mafia as well. Especially how the other members of the mafia would compare. Based on what he could remember of the Corocos Famiglia, their members hadn't really seemed all that impressive. Harry really wanted to see whether that was the norm or whether there would be more people like Reborn to be found.

Exploring yet another new world actually sounded quite exciting when he had his Sun at his side, accompanying him on his endless quest of sating his uncompromising curiosity.

Add in their planned visit to the joke shop later on… Today was a good day.

Leaving the apartment, they lazily made their way towards the café, taking an elaborate detour to confuse any possible watchers.

If Reborn made the way longer than was strictly necessary while enjoying having Harry tucked into his side, chattering happily about their intended visit to the Wizarding World today, green eyes blinking up at him whenever he waited for Reborn's responses… well, Harry certainly wasn't calling him out on it.

Ever since the mixing of their Flames yesterday, their bond's humming had increased in strength. Reborn was slightly stumped at having the feeling of Harmony enhanced even further. Based on what he had observed in the mafia over the years, he had thought their bond to be incredibly strong before already. He had no idea how to describe it now.

Not that he was complaining. Life sure seemed intent on making up for some of the crap it had heaped on both of them along the years. Reborn could definitely live with that. He smirked at that thought as they settled at one of the café's tables, flustering the waitress who came to take their order.

They took their time with finishing their breakfast and afterwards settled into a conversation over coffee and tea, waiting. Just as Reborn had expected, the watcher returned at the exact same time as he had appeared before. This time though, after a few moments the watcher briefly flared his Flames, making it easy for Reborn to identify him.

Reborn was quite surprised at their identity, though it didn't show on his face. He actually felt slightly reassured that there would be no threat coming from their watcher. In contrast to most of the Mafia World, this man held loyalty and integrity in high regard.

Reborn flared his Flames in response and a few seconds later he could feel the man slowly making his way along the street towards their café. Harry was calmly sitting at his side watching the proceedings, ready to act if needed.

Reborn looked up, straight into the man's eyes when he stopped at their table.

There was a moment of silence.

Knowing the other man wouldn't start a conversation, being far too polite to do so without introductions, Reborn greeted first. "Hello, Fon."

A quick bow. "Zǎo, Reborn. I am glad to see you in good health."

Reborn wanted to snort. Always the polite one.

Despite his Flame type, Fon always appeared to be the embodiment of calm and quiet, unobtrusive, seeming almost harmless. Well, at least to anyone who didn't know him. Reborn had witnessed the unimaginable destruction wrought by this man once angered.

Fon could be just as lethal as Reborn himself, though he tended to try for a less brutal resolution of any given situation first. In the Chinese Triads Fon was known by 'Eye of the Storm'. Reborn thought it to be the best possible description for the man.

Deadly and deceiving calm, backed by inescapable, utterly destructive force.

No one ever saw the attack from the calm and polite Chinese coming. The man's inverted personality - sharply in contrast to most, usually obnoxious Storm Flame users - was probably one of the reasons they had gotten along surprisingly well right from the start. They had met years ago during the time Reborn had disappeared from the Mafia World to erase his existence. Both of them had still been pretty unknown in the criminal underworld at that point.

Though quickly figuring out their similar backgrounds, Reborn had joined Fon on a few jobs he had been doing for the triads during that time. They had come to know each other quite well during that time, and Reborn would even go so far as to say he trusted the Storm Flame user.

Well, as much as someone in their position could be trusted. At the very least he was certain that Fon would never stab him in the back - he was too honorable for that - but rather announce his intent to kill Reborn beforehand. That was as close to friendship as you could ever expect in their circles, without bonding or Family loyalty playing a role.

Reborn indicated for Fon to take a seat at their table and turned to introduce Harry. His Sky was clearly taking his cues from Reborn's behavior as he showed no signs of increased apprehension at Fon's appearance.

Instead he was watching the Storm Flame user with intent but bright eyes. Reborn wanted to shake his head. His Sky's curiosity was going to get them in trouble. Probably quite frequently as well. Boredom was definitely a problem he wouldn't be plagued with again anytime soon, Reborn thought cheerily to himself.

"Harry this is Fon, a member of the Chinese Triads and a comrade. Fon this is Harry, my Sky." Reborn just couldn't help himself.

He was well aware that Fon would have sensed Harry's Flame type even when he had first seen him, distant as though it might have been. A Sky of Harry's purity was like a beacon to Flame users like them.

But this was the first time Reborn got to introduce _his Sky_. Harmony was something he had sought for years, and now he not only had a Sky, he had Harry.

He damn well deserved to show a little smugness every once in a while.

* * *

 **A/N:** Erm, so this was supposed to be a short chapter… 4000 words at most… What in the world happened?!

So, this didn't turn out quite as I had planned, though I really like it. Instead of the clash, you get Harry's recovered magic (finally!) and his first use of Flames… Also, an entire chapter without monologuing or lengthy explanations! I'm so proud of myself :) And dear god, all that fluff!

Next chapter will have quite a bit of Fon and also definitely George (hopefully I'll also finally manage the clash with some of the Order...)

Just as a heads-up, I will be moving to a different country in two weeks for a new job. With the move and the new job, the next updates might be coming less frequently. But even if you have to wait really long for an update, the story is definitely not abandoned! I hope that I will still be able to continue updating frequently, but I just don't know what to expect yet :)

Btw, I hope I got Fon's greeting right, please correct me if I didn't! If there is anyone who speaks Chinese, I would love some help with writing Fon as I don't know any Chinese at all :)

Chapter 13 review responses:

You guys are wonderful! Thanks for all the reviews!

 **To Ashpikachu4ever** : Thanks for the review! There will definitely be some bashing, though not too much as I'm trying to keep this mostly realistic for their 'verses. Still, some bashing will be fun…

 **To Silvermane1** : Thanks for reviewing again! Andy and Teddy will show up at some point, though I can't tell you when at this point exactly.


	16. Interlude: Fon

A/N: Don't own.

Starts a few days in the past and only has Fon.

* * *

Interlude: Fon

Fon sedately made his way through Milan Central Station, observing the people scurrying between the platforms. He had arrived in Italy just a few hours ago on a contract from the Triads to look for information on a rather delicate and quite convoluted situation.

The Tarasov Brotherhood of the Russian Mob had developed a way to force Flame activation.

Fon wanted to frown when considering this information again.

He already disliked the idea of a technology like that existing at all, much less in the hands of a small, unscrupulous group of the Russian Mob who might now create any number of Flame users from their own ranks and wherever else they could find them. Or sell the technology to the highest bidder.

It was calamity in the making.

Hopefully, the Tarasov never got their hands on anyone truly powerful. The destruction wrought by their newly activated Flames - uncontained and with no way to control them - would be immense. And who knew what kind of damage forceful activation might do to someone's Flames.

Fon didn't even want to consider what might happen if the Tarasov ever got their hands on a powerful Sky. Just the thought of uncontained Sky Flames was unsettling.

It would be a bloodbath. The Sky would pull at any Element within reach - looking for protection in a stressful situation – who would fight ruthlessly over the Sky.

Uncontrolled Sky Flames were dangerous, usually ending either with the Sky crippled – in mind or body or both – or with multiple Flame users dead - either at the hands of other Elements or simply because they couldn't handle the strain of having a Sky pull at their Flames without actually forming a bond.

Having Sky Flames pull at you without actual bonding - due to a difference in power levels, or simple unsuitability, or any other possible reason – was pain. Pain that ached down to your very soul. Pain with no way to find relief.

Fon knew. Over the years, there had been numerous Sky users who had tried and _failed_ to pull him in.

There was a reason why any decently strong Sky was taught by a one-on-one tutor at least until they gained a certain level of control after activating their Flames. And that was just considering the possible ramifications of forcefully activating Sky Flames.

And now someone wanted to go about indiscriminately forcing people into activating their Flames.

Fon felt like sighing at the entire situation.

The Shuǐhé Yī - one of the more powerful Triad branches - had found out about the Flame activation technology just a few days ago, after eradicating the Tarasov Brotherhood - in revenge for an attempted double-cross - when cleaning out their compounds. However, there had been no information to be found anymore on how the technology had been developed or what the plans for its implementation had been.

The Tarasov had been working with a small crime family in the UK, the Duggan Firm, who were supposed to provide some sort of essential information for the project. However, the exchange had been yet another double-cross that ended with the Russians entirely destroying the Duggans with the help of an Italian ally, the Corocos Famiglia. Who had then turned around and betrayed the Tarasov.

In the end, it had been the Corocos who had somehow made away with both the technology and the information.

Before the Russians had a chance to follow the Corocos to Italy, they had been wiped out by the Shuǐhé Yī in retaliation for an attempted – though entirely unrelated - betrayal.

Fon had always held the opinion that most of the smaller groups in the world of organized crime were ridiculously faithless. Amongst themselves they waged a continuous war of cut-throat and betrayal. These groups would do anything to rise into the ranks of the bigger players. Literally anything. Apparently even mess with Dying Will Flames, with people's soul and life-force.

Fon felt nothing but contempt for them.

Now, the Triads' higher-ups wanted the technology from the Tarasov and also preferably the information from the Duggans – whatever that might turn out to be. Thus they had followed their only lead for finding the technology itself to Italy. But the situation had escalated before they ever got there when a large Corocos compound had been blown up - under questionable circumstances - quickly followed by whatever else remained of the Famiglia.

At this point supposedly no one else had been aware of the Flame activation technology, so the Triads had decided to send someone to unobtrusively gather information and possibly even attain the technology itself.

Which is how Fon found himself in Italy looking into the activity of the Corocos before they had been taken apart.

Fon had been contracted for this particular job due to him being considered something of a neutral enforcer within the Triads. Even the leaders of the Triads preferred him in that position, as he could be called upon in cases such as this where multiple branches held separate interests. Especially, as Fon had no additional loyalties such as a bonded Sky and thus it was considered near impossible to sway his loyalty in case of a conflict within the Triads.

His position gave him an unusual amount of freedom - a rarity for someone of his strength – as Fon had the advantage of not being directly affiliated with any particular branch of the Triads. This freedom was something Fon would fight to keep with every resource available to him.

Additionally, ever since making a name for himself Fon had taken care to keep a rather low profile outside of the Triads' higher-ranking members as his main employers. He liked that by being mostly unknown in the underworld he could move far more freely than would be possible otherwise.

On the other hand, while Fon himself was unknown, his reputation as 'Fēngbào zhī yǎn' - the 'Eye of the Storm' - was met with fear and respect throughout the criminal underworld, well beyond the Chinese Triads.

Subtle gathering of information or manipulating shifts of alliances or acquisition of specific items were his preferred areas. He excelled at inconspicuously molding even the most delicate of situations to fit his demands, at acquiring any article – be it information or an item or a person - he aimed for, while afterwards, no one would be able to actually recall any details about his person, having entirely dismissed him during the process.

Fon preferred to solve any situation without actual violence, but if a situation did escalate there were very few people who even had a chance to defeat him. Very few. As in barely any.

But despite his position as a neutral enforcer between the branches, he was still very much considered a part of the Triads. Thus he wasn't entirely free in which jobs to take and which contracts to refuse and the contract that had brought him to Italy had been handed to him from the upper levels of the Triads.

So now, he was in Europe to gather delicate information that the higher-ups had not wanted to entrust to just anyone. In Italy. The land of the Mafia. Who had no idea that the 'Eye of the Storm' was in their country. Fon's serene smile tilted up another notch at that thought.

There were some people he wouldn't mind seeing again.

Well, first he would have to take care of this contract. He might as well seek out the Triad's informant in Milan that would be his starting point for this job.

Fon placidly looked around - reaffirming that there was no one paying any sort of attention to him – before sedately moving towards the main exit leading to the city center of Milan. Had anyone been watching they would have seen him entirely disappear from view between one blink and the next.

* * *

Leaving yet another informant and making his way further into the city, Fon contemplated the information he had gathered over the past few days. Things didn't add up.

It appeared as though his contractor hadn't been entirely honest with him regarding the specifics of this job. Though it was well known that Fon would not tolerate any sort of betrayal from allies. So, instead of his contractor having risked Fon taking revenge due to a perceived treachery it was just as likely that the Triads simply hadn't known.

As soon as he got back to China, he would be having words with the higher-ups. At the very least about the quality of their informants.

Fon had no patience for incompetence.

He had no doubt that he had gotten every last bit of relevant information the informant had known. And quite a bit more actually, as the man had started babbling in a panic at the near tangible pressure of Fon's Qi. It was always gratifying how easily people got scared of his polite smile when backed by the roiling power of his Flames.

Still, the information was not adding up.

Taking a seat at a restaurant's table to wait for the meeting with his next informant, Fon contemplated the information he had gathered so far, all the while vanishing into the canvas of the multiple awestruck tourists milling about.

While most of the Triad's background information had been correct - as in the Tarasov betraying the Duggans and being betrayed by the Corocos in turn – the Flame activation technology wasn't nearly as secret as he had been led to believe. It was actually more of a general topic of conversation in the Mafia World right now and thus also very much sought after by several parties.

Additionally, he had been informed that shortly before the first Corocos compound had been destroyed, the Strongest Sun had also been looking for similar information recently.

Reborn. As in the World's Greatest Hitman. Who would never leave such an obvious trail to follow. Who even Fon would have trouble finding against Reborn's wishes despite knowing the man's modus operandi well enough to have an advantage over most anyone else.

For Fon, the Sun Flame user fell cleanly somewhere in the middle between colleague and friend. Just as Fon was one of the very few people in the world who could count themselves as something more than an acquaintance or an annoyance in Reborn's eyes.

Fon and Reborn had met years ago, occasionally worked together, trusted the other for support during a job or for providing information. While there was no definite bond of loyalty between them, they both valued integrity enough to trust that no actual betrayal would come from the other.

Fon truly valued their understanding. Honor was hard to come by these days and especially in their circles.

Accordingly, they had done their best to avoid ending up on opposing sides during any larger conflicts and had both previously refused contracts for that reason. In their positions, you tended to do your best to keep the few reliable alliances you managed to build.

Still, no one in the criminal underworld actually knew about their - at the very least amicable -acquaintance. Just based on their roles and conduct in the Mafia World, they were usually seen as exact opposites.

Reborn liked to leave a swath of chaos in his wake wherever he went, using his reputation to strike terror into anyone opposing him and making them surrender without additional effort, while Fon preferred subtlety, undermining his targets to the point that they simply handed him whatever he had been hired to achieve in the first place, but barely leaving a trace of his ever having been there.

Reborn liked to exhibit the exact personality traits expected of a Sun Flame user, but used his Flames in the exact opposite way. Offense instead of defense, annihilation instead of activation. Fon was known for presenting the exact opposite of the personality ascribed to Storms, but could use his Flames to literally disintegrate anything they touched.

Reborn was provoking and dismissive all the while easily fading into the background - his presence vanishing from anyone's radar - if he so chose. Fon was the embodiment of calm and polite, but he had mastered the use of his Qi to focus anyone's attention on himself all the while distracting them from actually _seeing_ what Fon was doing.

In the end, both of them always, unquestionably, uncompromisingly achieved their goal.

Though to be honest, they both also had their chosen indulgences, cultivated as appeasements for their tempers, for their Flames, their nature. Reborn had made an art form out of driving people to the edge of insanity with his mind games, having the person unlucky enough to be the target questioning their own loyalty by the end of it. Fon on the other hand preferred frustrating people into losing control, simply by showcasing his legendary calm, uncompromising politeness and complete lack of reaction no matter what was thrown at him.

There were few things that Fon priced quite as much as self-control. Thus, driving others into completely losing control of themselves was his preferred way to show his disdain for someone. Not that anyone ever suspected something that underhanded from him, his mask of politeness clearly working to his advantage. He had made his cordial mask into one of his most useful weapons.

Fon and Reborn found similar gratification in revealing other people's weaknesses, their deficiencies, emphasizing the vast gap of strength. Reborn for the joy of messing with other people's minds, Fon for his disdain of anyone not trying to better themselves due to the misconception of having reached mastery of anything - there was no such thing as far as Fon was concerned, there was always some way to get better, to improve, to _reach_.

Reborn liked watching people flounder helplessly while he held the life vest that they were desperately searching for, while Fon found satisfaction in making people entirely lose control - of themselves and thus of the situation.

None of their targets had walked away entirely sane from any of the jobs where Fon and Reborn had joined forces.

They had managed to keep their acquaintance a secret mostly due to working on different continents, though they often used the other for information that might otherwise not be easily accessible to them. Their alliance widened their respective networks considerably simply by including the other's contacts, which were immense due to their position and abilities.

Which brought Fon back to the problem at hand.

Fon had already been suspicious. But then not only had the Flame activation technology suddenly become general knowledge – raising everyone's interest to absurd levels - but at the same time everyone also seemed to have figured out Reborn's possible involvement, going by the general search for the World's Greatest Hitman.

There was no way that the information had become available without interference. Someone must have pointed out Reborn's involvement in this situation. Either Reborn's own informant - though Fon doubted anyone would be stupid enough to betray the World's Greatest Hitman - or someone who apparently knew far too much. But Fon was unable to find the source of this information leak, which made the entire situation even more suspicious.

It stunk of someone desperately trying to find Reborn. So much so that they made any and all information they could find on the Strongest Sun available – even revealing the existence of the Flame activation technology to increase the general interest - hoping that someone else might find Reborn based on that information.

However, how had that person even found out about Reborn having been involved? Something else was at play here.

While nothing showed on his face beyond a calm smile, Fon felt like frowning. Not even only at someone possibly betraying Reborn but also that Fon was not able to find even a trace of who that might be. There should be a trace. No one was that good.

However, who would be idiotic enough to anger Reborn of all people, who was known to rip apart anyone who got in his way. For someone to risk Reborn's wrath by giving away this sort of information to the entirety of the Mafia - knowing full well that Reborn would find out - there had to be something else at play.

Fon felt his instincts tugging, warning him that there was more to this situation, something even more dangerous, permanent, _damaging_ than he was used to normally.

Reborn was at the very least an ally and so Fon would seek him out. To warn him about the increased interest - so the man could prepare himself – and possibly to offer his help.

Conveniently, it appeared as though Reborn was somehow involved with the technology, so Fon even had an excuse for seeking out the Strongest Sun while on a contract from the Triads.

Considering the first Corocos compound had apparently blown up right after Reborn having shown interest in the Famiglia, Fon felt it save to guess that Reborn had probably found out about the technology somehow and decided to get involved for some reason. Knowing the man, Fon was sure it had been boredom driving the Sun to do so. And Reborn had vanished from the Mafia World entirely right after. So, it might be safe to assume that Reborn had made away with the technology. Before anyone else had even gotten wind of it. Typical.

Reborn's need to be constantly active, moving, entertained was the one thing that actually gave away his Flame type. Other than that Reborn's personality, like Fon's, didn't really match Sun Flames, tending to fade into the background, rarely showing any form of true enthusiasm, always remaining level-headed.

But for Reborn to disappear entirely, to the point that his own contacts had no reliable way to get in contact with him, was unusual. Reborn always kept his information channels open. The man was obsessed with having any and all information available in the entirety of the criminal underworld. But if the World's Greatest Hitman wanted to disappear… well, chances were he would only be found when he himself intended it so.

It was yet another sign that there was more to this situation than appeared at first glance, so Fon spent the next few days looking further into the situation and found out that the Corocos had made another transaction in the UK. If they had returned to the UK despite the risk after already having double-crossed the Tarasov and the Duggans, they must have had a good reason.

Some more digging and Fon found records of a plane leaving Italy with three Corocos and returning with four passengers just days before the destruction of that first compound.

This was definitely suspicious and if something had dragged Reborn away it must have been pretty interesting, so this might be his most promising lead yet.

Fon would follow the trail of the Corocos and hopefully find out more regarding Reborn's whereabouts in the process.

* * *

Leaving Italy, he easily picked up the trail in London.

The Corocos really didn't know how to cover their tracks. So, after having ascertained the information himself, Fon erased the tracks for them, making sure no one would be following the same trail as he had.

Fon quickly uncovered the origin of the additional passenger, though he still didn't actually have a full name, just an address of where the Corocos had gotten this person.

Fon's next stop would be Surrey apparently.

However, he never actually made it out of London.

Before he could make his way towards British suburbia, something pulled at his attention - suddenly and fiercly, tugging at his instincts, his Flames, his intuition, his very _being_.

Never having been one to ignore his instincts, he unerringly followed the pull which led him to a street somwhere in the middle of London.

It took him a few seconds after arriving there to look past the insistent tugging to realize that it was Sky Flames that had his instincts on high alert.

Flames of the Sky sitting in a café at the other end of the street. Of the Sky who was sitting right next to the World's Greatest Hitman himself.

Fon paused, giving himself a few moments to process this. Even though he immediately smothered his Flames entirely after recognizing the Strongest Sun, Reborn had obviously noticed his presence, though Fon was certain that he had not been able to actually identify him. Fon's control over his Flames was too good for that.

He carefully considered the situation, while continuously assessing his surroundings. He had found Reborn. By coincidence.

Right.

This was too easy. It was either an incredible bout of luck – finding Reborn by coincidence of all things - or some kind of trap - but Reborn would not set him up in this fashion and his instincts were not giving any sort of warning. Fon took another careful look around. Coincidence it was.

Fon needed a chance to work through this. Reborn had noticed him watching. Fon could tell, what with Reborn's Flames aggressively curling about the surroundings trying to identify the threat – though thereby confirming that Fon finding Reborn here, was not some sort of setup designed by the Strongest Sun himself.

No one knew Fon was even in Britain. Even the Triads thought he was still in Italy.

He briefly considered the option of making his identity known to Reborn but decided against it. This situation was far too volatile.

And the Sky's presence was definitely throwing Fon off.

The one thing Reborn and Fon had always shared was their longing for a Sky, a true Sky. The kind of Sky that offered a boundless canopy for the Elements to settle and spread, an expanse to orbit without restraints, as well as the focal point to always return to.

Still, they were also both well aware that they were far too strong to ever expect to find a Sky that might be able to pull them in.

That of course didn't stop the numerous Sky users they met to try and force a bond on them. Although Reborn had possibly had it harder than Fon.

The Triads were very interested in keeping Fon as a neutral enforcer between the branches, thus none of the weaker Sky Flame users were willing to risk their wrath by trying to bond to Fon. However, the same could not be said for the high ranking members of the Triads, though they tried to be subtle in their attempts – 'tried' being the key word there, Fon thought, making his lips almost curl in contempt. Still, it at least limited the number of Sky Flame users trying to pull him in. Reborn had not had such luxury.

However, where Reborn had developed a clear dislike for Sky Flame users in general due to their constant attempts to pull him in by force or subterfuge – only ever asking, when their schemes failed – Fon held most Sky Flame users in contempt for letting themselves be used as tools by the powerful members of the Triads trying to further strengthen their base. The idea of being bound to a Sky like that, someone who would do the bidding of someone else - no questions asked - was abhorrent to Fon.

Additionally, they both liked their independency while cultivating a strong network of people for information and support if it was ever needed, making names for themselves that struck fear into the hearts of anyone who might have to stand opposite them.

Still, Reborn and Fon had always agreed in their wish for a suitable Sky – their Flames longing for the bond - despite their less than friendly feelings for any Sky Flame users they had met.

Because of that he was especially surprised by the obviously amicable atmosphere between Reborn and the Sky sitting at his table.

Reborn simply did not _do_ amicable. With anyone. No exceptions.

Fon kept his direct focus off the two Flame users sitting at the table, knowing that was the only way to avoid Reborn immediately pinpointing his position. Still, Fon could tell that the Sky who was sitting with Reborn was young, teenage young.

What little he had been able to witness of their interactions - before Reborn had noticed his presence just a few moments after Fon had focused on watching them - had been surprising. Fon knew Reborn outside of a job or during a job. Knew what he was like when he was pulling in a target or charming someone out of information or into his bed.

This was unlike any of those situations. Reborn had seemed genuinely invested in the conversation. Focused intently on the little Sky sitting across the table.

Additionally, Fon could feel the astonishing purity of the Sky's Flames despite not even being able to get a clear read on the entirety of his Flames. How had a Sky like this been missed by the criminal underworld? Still, it figured that of all people it would be Reborn who would find a Sky like this.

The Sky was also a sharp contrast to Reborn, even disregarding his age. Where Reborn was dressed as usual in his suit, the Sky was wearing jeans and t-shirt, had fly-away hair that was obviously unstyled and was mostly curled up on his chair as he talked animatedly.

Though Reborn's focus on the Sky had quickly turned into a front while Reborn tried to figure out who was watching and from where. Fon was one of the very few people who had sufficient control over his Flames to hide his identity even from the World's Greatest Hitman.

The Sky also seemed to have amazing situational awareness as even though Reborn had not given any outward sign of having noticed a watcher, the Sky had clearly realized something was off. He was actually keeping up the conversation and to anyone not quite as skilled as Fon, it might have seemed as though neither of the two sitting at the table had noticed anything. Fon knew better.

Going by Reborn's instant and almost aggressive alert at noticing that he was being watched, Fon decided that it might be best to leave for now and wait whether Reborn would return tomorrow without the Sky.

When the two of them got up to leave, he stayed where he was for a moment, before quickly disappearing in the opposite direction.

* * *

During the next few days Fon returned to the café in the mornings and when Reborn didn't appear, he spent the rest of the day looking for more detailed information on the Corocos situation.

However, just as Fon had thought, Reborn returned to the same café several days later at the same time.

And surprisingly also in the same company. That was unexpected. Well, Reborn had always been good at surprising him and the World's Greatest Hitman clearly had no intention of leaving the little Sky out of this situation. Nothing for it then.

After flaring his Flames and getting confirmation from Reborn that he could approach, Fon calmly made his way towards them. All the while he assessed the Sky not only sitting with Reborn but also apparently included in Reborn's scheme.

Reborn wouldn't drag such a young Sky - not just _any_ Sky, his instincts whispered - into a situation he couldn't entirely anticipate. Fon knew there was some piece of vital information he was missing.

Well, Reborn had always excelled at keeping Fon's life interesting, the Storm Flame user thought with a serene smile as reached their table.

* * *

 **A/N:** So… I needed an interlude to cover Fon's side of the story. I just couldn't get it to fit into the actual chapter.

Also, as feared I am finding very little time for writing right now. Maybe I'll try doing shorter chapters for now until I get settled in my new place and my new job? That way I might also be able to mostly keep to my usual updating schedule…

Chapter 14 review responses:

You guys are just amazing! The response to the last chapter was insane and kept me spending what little free time I have right now on writing :)

To everyone who asked, no comment on whether Fon will be a Guardian or not (though it should become clear soon). Same for George. Also, thanks to everyone who commented on the Chinese greeting and especially to **DarkMask09** for offering help with Chinese in the future.

 **To Evilshallprevail:** Thanks for your review! This is post-HP and pre-KHR. I am keeping most of the HP storyline but messing up the KHR 'verse entirely :)

 **To bloodyredfox:** Thanks for your review! I'm sorry but I don't want to comment yet on how Harry will affect the arcobaleno… Though I can tell you that Luce is going to be mostly the same as in KHR canon (there will have to be _some_ changes though) and that I don't intend to make the story any more angsty than it already is.

 **To iBeta:** Thanks for reviewing yet again! I will get back to the runes that appeared during the ritual and what they revealed. Though I'm not telling yet :)

 **To Celesta SunStar:** Thanks for reviewing again and for pointing out any spelling mistakes! I'm always grateful for any feedback on my English :)


	17. Chapter 15

A/N: Don't own.

Beware, POV jumping!

Continues right after chapter 14.

* * *

 _End of chapter 14:_

 _"Harry, this is Fon, a member of the Chinese Triads and a comrade. Fon, this is Harry, my Sky." Reborn just couldn't help himself._

 _He was well aware that Fon would have sensed Harry's Flame type even when he had first seen him, distant as though it might have been. A Sky of Harry's purity was like a beacon to Flame users like them._

 _But this was the first time Reborn got to introduce his Sky. Harmony was something he had sought for years, and now he not only had a Sky, he had Harry._

 _He damn well deserved to show a little smugness every once in a while._

* * *

Chapter 15

 _My_ Sky?! Reborn had said _my_ Sky?

Fon could practically _feel_ his serene façade slip. The façade that he had spent years perfecting, right along with his absolute self control and his reputation of unshakable calm. At Reborn's statement however, _for the first time in years_ , Fon could actually feel his eyes widen in surprise, as he – for a moment utterly speechless – simply stared at the World's Greatest Hitman.

Going by Reborn's smugly satisfied expression, Fon's reaction was also exactly what the Sun had been aiming for. The Sun sure loved creating drama wherever he went.

Even when he had first seen Reborn in the presence of this Sky a few days ago, Fon had immediately discarded the thought of this possibly being _Reborn's_ Sky.

But apparently Reborn had harmonized. Reborn had a Sky.

Almost involuntarily, Fon's eyes snapped to the Sky in question.

Only to be met with large green eyes staring right back at him.

This Sky who could not possibly have passed his teens yet - looking almost endearingly harmless in his slightly too large dark grey sweatshirt, halfway curled up in his chair - appeared entirely at ease sitting right next to the oh-so-very-feared World's Greatest Hitman.

A Sky strong enough to pull in the World's Greatest Hitman himself.

This certainly was not what he had been expecting to find when he followed Reborn's trail to London.

Though, forcing his amicable mask back into place, Fon felt anticipation vibrate through his Flames. This Sky would definitely stir things ups in the world of organized crime.

Still, he let nothing of his thoughts show on his face, as he bowed slightly in his seat and greeted Reborn's Sky politely, "Zǎoshang hǎo. It is nice to meet you."

With curiosity shining out of his eyes - having watched him ever since Fon had walked into view, never losing sight of him - the young Sky responded smoothly, "Nice to meet you as well."

* * *

Fon's reaction was priceless, Reborn decided smugly.

It had been years since Reborn had been able to get a visible reaction to _anything_ from Fon. Seeing the unflappable man's eyes actually widen slightly in surprise – it was minimal, barely visible, but there nonetheless – was more than a little gratifying.

It actually took the Storm a few moments to recover – still much too quickly in Reborn's opinion – regaining his legendary calm and offering a polite greeting to Harry whose interest in the proceedings shone clearly out of his eyes even as he returned the greeting politely.

His Sky's curiosity truly was endless Reborn thought cheerfully to himself leaning back in his seat with a smirk. It would definitely bring them trouble on numerous occasions. Occasions that Reborn was all too willing to sort out for the both of them.

* * *

Harry was feeling slightly nonplussed.

Meeting an actual friend of Ren's was definitely not something Harry had expected for today. Well, his Sun had said _comrade_ , but that was probably as close to the word friend as Reborn ever got.

Though 'comrade' - as in someone who Reborn had fought with, would rely on if necessary - certainly appeared to fit as well, as Harry couldn't even doubt the Chinese man's capability. _Just_ _the power practically_ radiating _from the man_... Even the brief flaring of the man's Flames earlier when he had announced his presence had made Harry's Flames surge abruptly.

And there was something else as well. Something other than the man's Flames. Something imposing, towering, _formidable_ tugging at Harry's senses. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

It had been easy to pick the man out in the crowd. With his foreign features and his exotic embroidered red clothes this man stuck out like a sore thumb from the drab background of British city life of pale faces, grey suits and black umbrellas. And the fluid way he moved…

Everyone's attention should have been focused on this man. But even as the people around him had parted like the sea when the man walked past them, they hadn't actually seemed to be affording the man any sort of additional attention.

That had to be some kind of trick. A trick Harry desperately wanted to learn.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the man's polite greeting, which Harry returned easily, his magic near buzzing in excitement at meeting someone _else_ like this – so self-assured, capable, _powerful_. Someone so clearly very _interesting_.

* * *

The Chinese man had apparently decided to entirely ignore Reborn's previous statement, going for banal smalltalk instead as he stated serenely. "It is good to see you, péngyǒu."

Harry almost wanted to grin when he felt Reborn's smugness turn into slight irritation at the man regaining his composure so quickly. Not that Harry had actually been able to tell that there was anything off about the Chinese man's reaction in the first place. He was just going by the smug satisfaction that had practically been pouring off of Reborn after the introduction.

Despite the grouchiness Harry could feel along the bond, Reborn replied casually. "Yes, quite. Though unexpected."

"Unexpected indeed." Fon nodded placidly.

Reborn relaxed slightly at that. So, Fon's main purpose for being in London wasn't actually to track down Reborn. He still wanted reassurance and asked lazily. "What brings you here?"

"Business relations."

Fon's easy reply answered all of Reborn's most pressing questions - business _relations_ , meaning that while Fon's presence here was indeed due to a contract, their meeting itself was not actually covered by it – but at the same time gave Reborn only the bare bones of information.

 _How delightful_ , Reborn thought cheerily, leaning back in his seat and getting comfortable for an intense game of words, something he so very rarely got to indulge in with a conversation partner who would be able to entirely keep up.

Sitting at Reborn's side, Harry listened entirely fascinated as the conversation quickly gained layers and sub-layers within and underneath the words actually being said. All the while appearing like a polite back-and-forth between vague acquaintances. About the stock market, of all things.

Even though Harry could pick out the layers beneath the words, he still was unable to entirely pick most of them apart. Though he definitely understood the not so veiled threats being bandied about on both sides.

Their interactions definitely gave weight to the word 'comrade' that Ren had used to introduce Fon.

Harry was sure that he was missing quite a bit – possibly most - of what was actually being said. But he was also quite content to just listen - happily sipping his tea, relishing in having found something to focus his not inconsiderable curiosity on.

Fon noted to himself that this meeting was actually going surprisingly well so far. Especially considering the rather volatile situation, what with the presence of the young Sky, newly bonded to the World's Greatest Hitman.

Now though, Fon was about to ruin the surprisingly relaxed atmosphere at their table. He had been planning to tell Reborn about the suspicious happenings in the Mafia World even before pretty much stumbling across him in London. Reborn having recently harmonized put a far more menacing spin on Fon's assumption that there was someone with far too much knowledge and power – and complete disregard for others' safety - searching for Reborn.

Especially, as Fon wasn't entirely certain just how well this Sky might be able to defend himself. He had certainly noticed that Reborn hadn't actually mentioned a Famiglia affiliation during the smug introduction of his young British Sky.

 _British_. Just like the additional passenger that the Corocos had brought with them to their compound.

At this point, Fon had put most of the clues together. Starting with Reborn looking into a situation that involved Flame activation technology and ending with Fon finding him in the presence of a young, unknown Sky with Flames of ridiculous purity.

The only explanation how a Sky like this – young, unaffiliated and _powerful_ \- could possibly have evaded the notice of the world of organized crime was, if he simply had not been active before. Additionally, this Sky simply did not _feel_ like Mafia - Fon just wanted to take a moment to bask in the mixture of pure Sky Flames and untainted Qi curling in the air around them.

If he were to guess, he would say that Reborn had probably found the young civilian Sky with recently and forcefully activated Flames in the hands of the Corocos, freed him and after erasing their tracks – read: erasing the Corocos compound from the map - took the Sky back to Britain. Somewhere along the way they had harmonized.

It was no wonder Reborn had decided to disappear from the Mafia World for a while. A newly formed bond to be settled and a civilian Sky to be taught before Reborn could even consider returning to the sink-or-swim world of organized crime.

 _Wǒ de tiān a,_ Fon did not even want to imagine the unfathomable destruction the Sun would wreak upon the world, if something – _anything_ \- were to even threaten Reborn's Sky.

So, he would warn Reborn about the current happenings in the Mafia World and then, Fon decided, he would offer his support. If only to help protect the young Sky from whoever was apparently pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Still, it was regrettable that he was about to ruin the surprisingly relaxed atmosphere at their table, Fon thought even as he leaned forward in his seat, immediately bringing the entirety of Reborn's focus onto himself.

* * *

Fon made his way back into the city as he considered the events of the day. Finding Reborn with his newly harmonized Sky certainly went beyond anything he had been expecting.

He would have liked to continue their discussion, but Reborn and his Sky had a prior engagement and Fon had to get in contact with the Triads to keep them somewhat in the loop. Well, for now he only intended to tell the Triads that the much sought after technology was currently in the possession of the World's Greatest Hitman himself and therefore simply 'liberating' it as planned was not actually an option.

As Reborn's involvement was already widely known in the Mafia, word would reach the Triads soon anyways, if it hadn't already. And considering _who_ currently had the technology in their possession… The Triads would definitely prefer bargaining with Reborn before even considering making him into an enemy by attacking outright.

Conveniently, his contract only required Fon to report in regards to the technology itself. He had no plans whatsoever to reveal anything about Reborn's Sky or even about having left Italy.

Especially, as he definitely had enough topics to distract his employers with. Like the incompetence of their informants. Fon let his serene smile widen a bit. He was already looking forward to that discussion in particular.

He would be meeting Reborn and his Sky again tomorrow at a different café, too cautious to meet at the same place again. Although, the Sky had seemed amused when they had discussed their meeting place for tomorrow, muttering something about 'vigilance' under his breath.

Fon had to admit that he had been surprised - and quite gratified for Reborn - that the Sky had apparently kept up with their conversation, even reacting with amusement to some of the jibes Reborn and Fon had thrown at each other.

Despite his endearingly harmless appearance, his bearing and ability to read the situation lent credence to the intently focused look in the Sky's eyes that was anything _but_ harmless. Taking the ridiculously pure Flames into consideration and going by Reborn's obvious smugness, this Sky – _Harry_ – probably also measured up in most everything else a Sky was _supposed_ to be.

Fon ignored the slight twist of longing in his own chest at that thought. Reborn deserved a Sky, a _true_ Sky.

And Fon had felt something else from the Sky, in addition to his Flames and his Qi, mixing, intertwining, to the point of the lines between these usually clearly separate energies blurring. Something that Fon had only felt a handful of times before, when he had been studying the most obscure forms of martial arts, while traveling through the most rural parts of his country, where true shamans still practiced their craft.

And the feeling had never been anything like this. Then, it had been barely there, teasing at the edges of his perception, weak but still poignant in its difference to Qi or Flames. With this Sky, it was something different altogether, the strength of it right up there with the Sky's Flames.

This Sky, the young Sky who had bonded to the Strongest Sun and whose Flames had been tentatively coiling towards Fon from time to time, this Sky had _magic_.

And wasn't that just something.

* * *

Reborn kept Harry tucked underneath his arm the entire way back to their apartment.

Even though Fon's presence hadn't really bothered him as much as he had assumed _anyone's_ presence would have at this point, someone having found them at all – having another Flame user, a potential threat, so close to his Sky - had his Flames on high alert.

Additionally, Fon's suspicions about there being someone pulling strings from behind the scenes - someone who Fon had not been able to identify at all, someone who apparently wanted to find Reborn no matter the cost - certainly fueled the need to keep his Sky close.

Despite the increased alertness he could sense from his Sun, Harry decided that he had had a great day so far. He had met someone from Reborn's life, someone so very incredibly _interesting_. And who also clearly deserved Reborn's apparent trust just going by the fact that Fon had sought them out just to warn them about a possible threat.

Harry might not have gotten all the nuances of their conversation, but he had definitely understood that there was something going on in the Mafia World that pertained to his Sun. Someone was looking for Reborn and going by their methods they had no compunctions about putting everyone else in harm's way to get reach their goal. So, that someone might then try to pose a threat to Reborn. Which was laughable and unacceptable at the same time, Harry thought irritably.

They still had about two hours until they were supposed to meet George at the joke shop, which should give them enough time to discuss everything that Harry was certain he had missed in the multi-sub-over-under-layered conversation earlier.

Harry's mood immediately lifted at the thought of seeing George today, even though their meeting would be pretty short as George was planning to leave for Spain right after. George would be traveling to various cities in Europe over the next week or so to look for potential locations for the opening of another joke shop outside of Britain.

Based on George's letters, Harry had surmised that the redhead had thrown all of himself into his work as soon as Harry had started his treatment at St. Mungo's - just as Harry had feared - and even more so when Harry had disappeared entirely. With all the additional work George had put into the shop - and with people still feeling an increased need for anything joyful in their life now that the war was over - the joke shop was doing better than it ever had before and George was looking to expand further. Harry also knew that George simply needed to see something that didn't constantly remind him of the war, of losing Fred.

Harry forced his mind away from that train of thought.

The point being, that their meeting was on a pretty tight schedule with George leaving for at least a week, first to Seville, then Lisbon and then possibly Palermo and Paris to check out the competition there.

But Harry was so looking forward to introducing George to Reborn. Oh, did he ever anticipate that meeting. _The Wizarding World won't know what hit it_ , Harry thought gleefully to himself.

Reborn couldn't help but grin down at his Sky who was nearly bouncing in excitement where he was tucked into Reborn's side.

He knew that Harry was excited about meeting George later on. His Sky had become increasingly agitated each time he had been forced to push back their visit to the joke shop, clearly worried for his friend. Reborn was also looking forward to meeting someone from Harry's life who had actually stuck by his side through all the crap that had been heaped on his little Sky.

Reborn was still planning to make his displeasure regarding the treatment of his little Sky at the hands of various people in the Wizarding World known. He could use an ally in that, if only to make sure Harry didn't 'forget' to mention anyone who might have been involved.

And based on Harry's stories of the twin redheads, Reborn had a feeling that he would not have any problems getting George on board. No problems at all.

Reborn did nothing to suppress the sadistically vindictive grin spreading over his face. A random pedestrian walking in their direction flinched at seeing his expression, quickly crossing the road to hurriedly walk past them on the other side of the street.

 _Good instincts_ , Reborn thought magnanimously.

* * *

Arriving at their apartment, Reborn – as usual – prepared something to drink for them while Harry – also as usual – cooed over Fawkes and Leon as though he hadn't seen them for weeks. Both of their companions preened under the attention heaped on them from his adorable Sky.

Reborn watched with amusement. There really wasn't any reason for the pretend separation anxiety, especially since Leon had been hiding on his person the entire time. Well, Reborn also wasn't going to comment, since in his humble – and completely unbiased – opinion, Harry cuddling with their companions was just about the most adorable thing to ever grace the face of this earth.

Settling on the couch with their drinks, he was soon joined by Harry - Leon returning to his usual spot in one of the window alcoves to soak up the sun and Fawkes disappearing to places unknown as he was wont to do - who leaned against one of the arm rests and after a moment of hesitation, settled his legs across Reborn's lap. Reborn certainly had no problems with this arrangement and wrapped a hand around one of Harry's slim ankles.

He noted the way his hand easily wrapped around the entirety of Harry's leg, with room to spare. His Sky was still far too skinny, he observed, his thumb drawing small circles on Harry's shin where it was tucked under the leg of Harry's pants.

It was wonderfully calming. Reborn did nothing to hide his smirk at the blush spreading over Harry's cheeks, who immediately took to hiding behind his tea cup but did nothing to remove his leg from Reborn's grip. Relaxing in the comfortable silence, Reborn was glad that they still had some time before they had to leave again.

Fon had been fine with cutting their meeting short and Reborn knew that the Storm would be getting in contact with the Triads, if only to let them know that the much sought after technology was currently in Reborn's hands and therefore non-retrievable. He trusted Fon to keep anything regarding Harry out of his report.

Reborn knew that there were some aspects of today's conversation that Harry couldn't have understood simply because he lacked the background knowledge of the Mafia itself. So, after relaxing in silence for a while, Reborn started explaining the intricacies and implications of today's revelations as Harry listened intently, rarely throwing in a comment or a question.

Reborn had been relieved that nothing in Fon's account had even hinted at the list of potential Flame users. If even Fon didn't know of the list - especially after digging specifically for information regarding the Corocos situation – it was unlikely anyone else had been able to find out about it.

Not that the list itself actually existed anymore. After confirming that Harry's name was actually on it - and thereby giving it validity - Reborn had destroyed it. Well, after memorizing every single name on it of course. It never hurt to have something extra to bargain with.

However, even now they were no closer to figuring out how the list had actually been compiled or how Harry's name had ended up on it. Especially, as only a very limited number of people had had access to Harry over the past year, almost all of whom were wizards and thereby incredibly unlikely to be involved in the non-magical Mafia in any way.

Additionally, Reborn was certain he was missing some piece of vital information regarding the list. The Corocos goon had told him that they had only tried the technology once, before immediately moving on to Harry. It seemed incredibly unlikely to Reborn that they had picked a Sky of Harry's purity by coincidence on their second try. Especially, as the Corocos had traveled to another country to specifically pick Harry up beforehand. It was far to organized to be a coincidence, meaning they must have _known_ somehow that Harry might turn out unusually powerful, but there had been no indication of that on the list at all.

Harry was aware of all of this, so Reborn felt no need to mention it again. Instead he concluded with, "Although pretty much everyone in the Mafia World will be interested in the technology, most groups will be try bargaining instead of attacking, as the small fries will not actually dare mess with me and the big players are mostly interested in maintaining the current power structure."

When Reborn paused, Harry easily added. "But the groups in the midfield have a lot to gain by coming after us."

Reborn took just a moment to appreciate the natural _us_ in that sentence, before agreeing. "They'll probably pool resources with other groups to increase their chances. And depending on the group they would have no problem with just forcing Flame activation in anyone, hoping to hit the jackpot with someone truly strong. Someone like you."

Reborn knew what was coming, but they lapsed into companionable silence for a while, before Harry stated. "So, we might need support."

And it pained Harry say so because he _hated_ having to rely on anyone - with the sole and fairly recent exception of his Sun - but Harry was also very aware that he was currently near useless where Mafia matters were concerned, so he would damn well make sure that they had some decent support, as his Flames and magic were urging him to do.

Reborn wanted to frown in irritation at the truth of that statement.

He knew that Harry wasn't weak, but he was also aware that his little Sky was a _magical_ fighter. And while Harry had the Flame power to beat out most everyone else, he had used his Flames for the first time only a few days ago and couldn't possibly know how to use them effectively in a fight yet. Which made his Sky vulnerable, even more so as he could not actually use his magic in any Mafia matters due to the Statute of Secrecy.

And when the Mafia found out about Harry… Just attaining a powerful Sky like Harry would be enough to bring out even the most influential players of the criminal underworld as well as the most unscrupulous. If gaining control of this Sky would thenalso mean gaining leverage over the World's Greatest Hitman… It would be calamity.

Add in the new and entirely unknown threat that Fon had brought to his attention… Reborn's Flames were urging him to accept Fon's not so subtle offer of support. If only as additional protection for his Sky, Reborn thought.

At least he knew that he could rely on the Storm, trust him not to stab him in the back and to keep his word of protecting Harry. If he had to rely on someone, Fon was actually the best possible option he could possibly think of.

Something Harry had clearly picked up on as well, going by his next question. "Fon is a friend?"

Reborn considered for a moment, before explaining. "We have a pretty solid alliance and I know that I can rely on Fon for information and support during jobs. Most importantly, I trust that he will never betray me directly, which is about as much as you can trust anyone in our circles."

Harry was clearly fascinated. "How did you meet?"

Reborn relaxed back into the couch, resuming drawing circles on Harry's shin. "We met during the time I spent away from the Mafia to erase my name. We were both pretty young, still teenagers. Considering that I ran into him, while he was just finishing a hit it wasn't all that hard to figure out that we were both involved in organized crime."

Reborn grinned at Harry who was watching him with bright eyes. "We might have indulged in some less than verbal disagreement, before we decided to leave each other be." He drawled.

Harry couldn't help but grin at that.

With an answering smirk, Reborn continued. "We ran into each other again about a year later, when I was still avoiding the Mafia itself but he had been starting to make a name for himself. I joined him for some higher ranking jobs, though even now no one is aware that we know each other beyond maybe running into each other by coincidence."

"So, you work well together?" Harry asked.

Harry had clearly realized from his comments that Fon could probably keep up with Reborn in regards to influence and power.

"Fon actually has a unique standing in the Chinese Triads, holding the position of a neutral enforcer, with no defined loyalty to any particular branch but the power to bring most of them to their knees." Reborn considered for a moment. "Fon actually prefers subtlety to force for achieving his goals and after taking the position of enforcer, he has kept a low profile. Though if he wanted to he could easily claim the title of the Strongest Storm."

And Reborn definitely meant that. He had never seen anyone use Disintegration the way Fon could. Reborn had witnessed the Storm literally disintegrate entire buildings and on one very memorable occasion even an entire forest. There had been nothing left after. Nothing. Not even a pile of dust. It had definitely been impressive.

It had also been the day Reborn decided to avoid ever truly angering the Storm.

"Strongest Storm…" Harry mulled over that assessment even as he thought of the strange feeling he had gotten from the Chinese man and hesitated slightly, not entirely certain how to even put it into words. "There was something else, other than his Flames…"

Reborn marveled at Harry's instincts. Fon had absolute control over his Qi and his Flames, so for Harry to still feel not only the man's Flames but also his Qi was quite the feat. Reborn steadfastly ignored what this might mean for their compatability. "In addition to his Flames, Fon is a master of several martial arts and he has an insane amount of Qi with legendary control."

 _Qi_? Harry had no idea what to make of that, but before he had a chance to ask how Qi fit into the picture between magic and Flames, Fawkes suddenly re-appeared on the back rest of one of the dining chairs in a burst of flames. With a letter in his beak.

Immediately, Harry was up and reaching for the letter, absentmindedly stroking over Fawkes' feathers and trying to ignore his anxiousness at the thought that only very few people knew to call Fawkes in order to get in contact with him, namely his lawyers, his healers and George.

He quickly scanned the missive. It was from George. Who was letting Harry know that he had already left for Spain.

Because the Order had shown up at the joke shop.

To discuss some sort of new Order business.

And George had just turned around and left.

Harry gnashed his teeth in frustration.

Fred had died fighting for the Order. For anyone to approach George with anything that included even a vague mention of the Order was just another example of apparently no one realizing just how incredibly lost George was. How helplessly he was floundering after losing his other half. And how close they still were to losing him as well.

Before his treatment, Harry had done his best to be there for George, if only to just give him the simple comfort of another presence close by – something George had never ever been without as long as his twin had been alive - but even then he had known, it could never possibly be enough.

Harry felt Reborn step in close behind him and for once he refused to feel self-conscious when he leaned back into his Sun's chest who reacted immediately by curling an arm around Harry's waist.

Reborn read the letter over Harry's shoulder, though showing no outward reaction to the contents. He was definitely getting sick and tired of any mention of Order members at this point. These people were continuing to pop up as the main instigators of most of his Sky's anger and pain.

And Reborn certainly hadn't forgotten that it had been the adults closest to Harry who had failed him the most. Before, during and after the war. He knew how very resentful Harry still felt about the actions of the Order after the war, content to entirely ignore Harry after he had done what an entire world had demanded of him, but then feeling entitled to make uninformed decisions on his behalf, which had put his Sky's health in serious danger and even put him in the hands of the Mafia.

Oh, Reborn had not forgotten _at all_.

Harry almost felt like popping over to the joke shop to confront the Order members. Or rather to unleash Reborn on them, Harry thought vindictively. Despite spending a lot of time with George after the war, Harry sure as hell had never run into anyone else from the Order who might have been trying to support George.

He breathed out harshly in frustration. "How _dare_ they? How dare they even _consider_ calling on George whenever they feel like it?"

And now George had already left for Spain. Harry couldn't even send him a letter with Fawkes before tonight, because he had no idea whether George might already be meeting with one of the realtors right now.

Reborn didn't even try to placate him, resting his chin against Harry's temple, as Harry took a deep breath trying to calm his temper. His anger gave way to irritation.

"And what in Merlin's name could this Order business possibly be about anyways?" Harry huffed. "The Order's purpose was to fight against Voldemort when the Ministry wouldn't. But the war is over. Voldemort is dead. The Order has no reason to have any business anymore at all!"

Harry was sure that this 'Order business' somehow pertained to him or one of his many ridiculous titles. It always did in some way.

He rambled on in irritation. "So, not only is there something happening in the Mafia that we will have to deal with, but now the Order is up to something as well?!"

Reborn couldn't help his grin as he watched Harry rant on. His Sky was adorable, all fluffed up like an angry kitten. Not that he would ever be mentioning this thought out loud. He enjoyed Harry's kitten glowers too much to risk him trying to stop throwing them around.

With Harry's fury mostly abated, Reborn squeezed the arm around Harry's waist whilst eyeing the delicious picture his Sky made – with those green eyes blazing up at him and the slight blush on his cheeks that Harry seemed to be incapable of suppressing at even the slightest provocation. Reborn grinned wickedly, "Well, you _did_ give me fair warning when you said that I wouldn't have to worry about boredom while having you around, lovely."

* * *

 **A/N:** I am so so sorry for taking so incredibly long to update! Life has been insane these past few months with the move, the new job and learning a new language...

I've actually had most of this chapter written for quite some time, but then I spent months (months!) just editing and re-editing and not getting anywhere. At one point I rewrote the entire chapter hoping that might help. The dialogue between Reborn, Harry and Fon alone reached about 15,000 words at one point but that seemed a little excessive just to establish their dynamic. Of course, now I'm kind of worried I might have removed too much. And I'm not entirely sure how well the three-way-POV sections worked out... Feedback is very welcome :)

This chapter was actually supposed to include a lot more plot, but since I've been struggling to get past this segment I decided to upload this part for now (I'm still not really happy with it), hoping that I will then _finally_ be able to focus on the next part. I hope you still like it, despite it pretty much covering only the meeting with Fon and hinting at things to come :)

Thanks to anyone who pointed out any mistakes in the previous chapters. Comments on my English or any other foreign languages I try to incorporate are always welcome! And special thanks to **Amarante96** and **DarkMask09** for their help with the Chinese in this chapter!

 _Zǎoshang hǎo (good morning)_

 _Péngyǒu (friend)_

 _Wǒ de tiān a (Heavens above!)_

Interlude review responses:

Igneous passed the 1,000 review mark with the last chapter! Thank you so much! Your amazing reviews kept bringing me back to spend whatever time I could on writing!

To everyone who asked or speculated: I'm not commenting on the Arcobaleno arc yet and I don't want to give too much about Harry's Guardians away, but I will say that Harry is definitely not going to bond to all the Arcobaleno and in this story specific conditions have to be met for a wizard to activate his Flames, so no sudden influx of wizarding Flame users… (just as a hint ^^)

 **To bloodyredfox & NanashiSora**: Thanks for the review! I have plans for Tsuna and everyone else, though at the speed I am going currently, who knows when I will actually get there…

 **To Mirage & 2Kay7**: Thanks for the extensive reviews! Still, can't answer most of your questions, though it should be obvious from this chapter that the confrontation with the Order is coming closer and R&H will soon appear as well :)

 **To Fire Dolphin** : Thanks for the review! Teddy will definitely play a role, though it will still take several chapters until I get there.


	18. Chapter 16

A/N: Don't own.

Continues the next day.

* * *

Chapter 16

Harry's good mood was starting to border on the ridiculous - and no, he was not nearly skipping at Reborn's side as they made their way to meet Fon - but he simply did not care right now.

George had finally replied to his letter this morning and it had clearly been an excellent idea for the redhead to get out of Britain for a while.

 _George sounded so cheerful!_ Harry thought happily.

The other wizard was currently staying at a hostel in Seville - enjoying the 'Muggle Experience' as he called it - and appeared to be endlessly entertained by the muggles around him.

Although the redhead's accommodations also made it quite difficult for them to meet right now, Harry had refused to let George interrupt his trip, even if only to visit their apartment in London. But George had promised to get himself an actual hotel room for his next stop. And then Fawkes could take Harry and Reborn to visit George there. _Finally_.

So, they were going to visit George within the next days and Harry was going to see a foreign country for the first time - his last stay in Italy obviously didn't count because between being held prisoner by the Corocos and recuperating in Reborn's apartment he had never actually stepped foot outside – and he was so excited! A new country to see, with Reborn at his side. Going exploring with Ren was _bound_ to be exciting.

Harry felt his grin widen even further at that thought and he simply ignored Reborn smirking down at him. Harry certainly wasn't complaining about the arm sneaking around his waist and tugging him into his Sun's side.

During their discussion yesterday, Reborn had told him that whatever was currently happening in the Mafia was most likely entirely unrelated to their bond. Because Fon had not known about Harry at all. Reborn was convinced that if anyone had found out about Reborn harmonizing, Fon would have heard about it.

When it had become apparent that they would not be able to meet George as planned, Harry had instead decided to get a little more familiar with his Flames. His Sun had been happy to give Harry pointers on how to direct his Flames to either manifest – curling around Harry's arms as fiery snakes - or to remain invisible - spreading throughout his surroundings, increasing his awareness of everything around him. Or how to let his Flames entwine with Reborn's own Flames– and Merlin, the feeling had literally taken Harry's breath away.

And no, just because by the end of it Harry had been more or less curled up in Reborn's lap as their Flames twined around them, they had not been cuddling. _They hadn't_.

Harry suppressed the blush that threatened to spread over his cheeks at the memory.

Reborn grinned down at his Sky. Harry was being impossibly adorable right now - almost bouncing at Reborn's side, keeping up a constant stream of chatter, near beaming with happiness. Though Reborn would _really_ like to know what had brought about the blush that was currently gracing his Sky's cheeks.

Harry had been in a constantly good mood ever since receiving George's letter this morning. His little Sky had even stated that he would be holding on to his good mood for as long as he possibly could, _damn whatever the Mafia and especially the bloody Order are up to_. His Sky had been puffed up in his indignation and if it weren't so very undignified, Reborn might have cooed at the picture he made.

Reborn himself was actually feeling pretty good himself. Everything seemed to be going in his favor recently. He had his adorable little Sky at his side – their bond pulsing with Harry's good mood – and the situations apparently brewing in the Mafia as well as in the Wizarding World virtually guaranteed that Reborn wouldn't have to worry about anything even resembling boredom any time soon.

Additionally, Fon – one of the only people Reborn would willingly trust to watch his back – had shown up and Reborn's instincts – which had been insistently clamoring at him that he needed more protection for his Sky – had calmed slightly ever since they had decided to accept Fon's offer of support.

And while his instincts' insistence regarding the necessity of additional support already confirmed that whatever was happening in the Mafia was just as fishy as it appeared, having to accept _anyone's_ help at all still rankled Reborn. Not to even mention his irritation at letting someone else – comrade or not - close to Harry.

Not like Reborn was going make it easy for Fon. He smirked cheerfully to himself.

Turning another corner, they spotted Fon sitting at a table outside at the café Harry had suggested for their meeting. Harry had remembered passing the cozy-looking café a few times on his way between the Leaky Cauldron and his apartment before his stint to Italy and had always wanted to check it out.

As they reached the table, Fon stood to bow politely in greeting, smiling serenely.

"Good morning." Harry greeted cheerfully, while Reborn just nodded in return.

As they settled at the table, his Sun immediately restarted yesterday's conversation as though the two men had never interrupted their discussion in the first place, quickly turning to the details of Fon's report to the Triads, all the while appearing like a discussion on the inner workings of hospital administration.

Well, Harry knew that the more boring a conversation appeared, the less likely anyone was to try and listen in. _Nothing_ made people as curious as a whispered conversation. He could attest to that.

He was entirely content to observe them as they conversed, just as fascinated by their dynamic as he had been yesterday. And even just sitting there, the two Flame users still made for two impressive figures, practically oozing capability and self-assuredness.

Curiously, even though the aura around them was quite intimidating, to Harry it felt almost soothing. He definitely did not know what to make of that, though he was certainly not going to complain about feeling entirely safe while in public for once in his life. His magic and Flames were quite content in their presence, reinforced by the calm he could feel on Reborn's side of the bond.

Harry had to remind himself again, not to get lost in the feeling of the bond – its humming seemed to only have increased with Harry's use of his Flames - and tried to focus on the discussion going on in front of him.

* * *

When the waitress finally approached their table for their order, Reborn did not even bother to pause in his discussion with Fon about the Triads' not-so-enthusiastic reaction to finding out about Reborn being the one to have 'relieved' the Corocos of the Flame activation technology.

Though seeing the blushing waitress' eyes fixed unwaveringly on Fon, Reborn gleefully threw in a jab about Fon's apparent admirer. To his Sky's obvious amusement. The Storm did not actually deign to respond and turned to the waitress with a serene smile to order his usual swill – read: tea.

Tea like Harry. To his Sky's apparent delight, who decided to entirely ignore the gravity of their current discussion and instead threw a smug look in Reborn's direction. Reborn could almost hear the unvoiced, triumphant _Hah!_ that went with it.

Reborn couldn't help but respond cheerfully, "Priorities lovely. Priorities." He watched delightedly as a slight blush made its way across his Sky's cheeks in response.

Harry decidedly ignored Reborn's comment and the utter fondness he could feel along their bond from his Sun. _Still, that is two out of three for tea,_ Harry thought petulantly. _Take_ that _, heathen!_

Fon let his serene smile actually widen slightly. _Their dynamic is certainly amusing_ , he observed silently.

And so very entertaining. Fon had certainly never expected to witness the World's Greatest Hitman seriously debating the merits of coffee versus tea. And despite the ridiculousness of their argument, Reborn appeared to be reacting with nothing but utter fondness to the young Sky. That was definitely something Fon had never thought to see in his life.

Fon could only congratulate this young Sky on seemingly mastering arguing with the World's Greatest Hitman. Usually, any discussion with Reborn was an exercise in patience and over the years the Sun had managed to exasperate Fon nearly to the point of murder several times before. Though Fon had learnt to cover his reaction, just as Reborn had learnt to ignore any attempts from Fon to make him loose control.

 _It is certainly nice to catch up with old acquaintances_ , Fon thought serenely. Especially, if they came with such interesting company.

Interesting, indeed. A Sky, strong enough to pull in the strongest Sun, a Sky with magic and who looked so endearingly harmless - a sharp contrast to Reborn's menacing presence - that Fon already felt an urge to protect him. Even without a bond helping him along.

And if Fon felt like this _without_ Harmonization, what must this feel like to Reborn... _Wǒ de tiān a_ , the Mafia had barely been able to handle Reborn on his good days. Fon did not even want to imagine the chaos that would come with Reborn in full protective mode.

Especially when considering the effect just the Sky's existence was going to have on the Mafia.

It was an unspoken but universally accepted fact, that there could never be a Sky strong enough to pull in an element of Reborn's strength. A 'fact' that the Mafia had even taken some comfort in until now. Because if there ever _were_ a Sky strong enough for Reborn and thereby also strong enough to pull in _any other_ high-rank Element of their world - and Fon actively did not think about what this might mean for himself, for his own chances of _finally_ finding a Sky, finding Harmony, finding a _home._

A group formed around a Sky like that would instantly render the existing power structure _utterly_ obsolete.

So, just the news of Reborn harmonizing would throw the entire world of organized crime into chaos. And that was without taking into consideration what sort of mayhem Reborn would be causing purposefully. Add in the young Sky that seemed to be entirely willing and capable to keep up with the Sun...

Fon personally was just looking forward to the entertainment. He almost wanted to let his serene smile tilt into the anticipatory grin that he could feel tugging at the corners of his mouth. Offering his support to Reborn - and thereby staying close to the Sun and his Sky - had definitely been one of Fon's better ideas.

He refocused on Reborn when the Sun turned back to Fon with a last mirthful grin in his Sky's direction, effectively ending their coffee versus tea debate. Harry looked to be somewhere between blushing in mortification or huffing in exasperation at the Sun.

Fon could relate.

* * *

Harry knew that Fon was assessing him even while they talked. It made Harry at least slightly nervous.

He was well aware that he generally did not paint a very impressive picture, that he tended to be dismissed, overlooked. Harry had learned early in life to appear as nonthreatening, unobtrusive, invisible as possible, if only to avoid Vernon's anger or Dudley's little gang of bullies. Harry had certainly gotten good at appearing like the least interesting thing in a room, possibly even too good, as people rarely ever thought him to be worth their notice.

Well, unless he got angry. Then he had been told he was utterly _terrifying_ , with his magic coiling at his back, pressing down on everyone around him. Leaving no illusions as to who was _actually_ to be considered in charge. It was his version of the vanishing trick he had seen Reborn and Fon pull. While Harry never actually disappeared from anyone's radar, people tended to entirely dismiss him right from the get go. They only ever realized their mistake if Harry chose to 'point it out' to them.

But Harry would very much like to make an at least generally good impression on the Storm - and Harry ignored all the possible reasons for this. Still, despite their lengthy discussion yesterday evening about the Storm and his offer of support, Harry still wasn't entirely certain what to make of Fon.

Based on Reborn's stories, Fon was one of the most powerful players in the world of organized crime. But while the Storm seemed to exude self-assuredness and uncompromising capability - just like Ren - he also appeared to be surprisingly amicable, polite, friendly, _peaceful_ even.

Well, peaceful might not be the best word, considering that at this point their conversation had devolved into a near humorous verbal war. The two Flame users nudging at each other's patience with hints, half-truths, condescending almost-questions and placating non-answers.

Harry was certainly amused.

Then. A sudden ripple in his magic – a nudge, a warning - abruptly caught Harry's attention.

From one moment to the next, Reborn felt Harry's attention suddenly focus elsewhere, somewhere beyond their table. Immediately he let his Flames curl in the air around them in response to Harry's alert. And Fon obviously caught on right away, letting his own Flames join Reborn's, spreading through the wider area around them, giving Reborn the peace of mind that someone was watching their back.

Not that anyone would have been able to tell that his or Fon's attention had in any way wavered from their now entirely meaningless conversation.

His Sky had obviously sensed something, long before Reborn or even Fon. Which could really only mean one thing.

Magic. Or more specifically, wizards.

Just then three people wandered out of an alley on the other side of the street. Two men and a woman, Reborn noted from where he appeared to be lazily sprawled in his chair.

The wizards were scanning the street with their eyes, obviously looking for something or someone, suspiciously quickly fixing on Harry. Spotting him almost at the same time, they promptly made their way towards their table, not even considering the mayhem they were causing by blindly walking out into the traffic.

Imbeciles. Harry certainly hadn't been exaggerating about the idiocy of wizards.

Well, this should at the very least be interesting, Reborn thought. Especially, with Fon here as well. They certainly hadn't been planning to confront the Storm with the Magical World right away, much less without ever getting the chance to explain the situation to him. Well, nothing for it now.

Harry was not amused. And he had been in such a good mood, too! But well, it had been several weeks since life threw a wrench into his plans. _About time the Potter Luck acted up again,_ Harry thought testily.

The three wizards approaching their table were easily identifiable as such, seeing as they had only slightly transfigured their clothes to look a bit like really old-fashioned floor-length coats instead of actual robes. They had not even bothered to change the colors, two men in Auror-red and a woman in dark brown.

The latter, Harry immediately recognized. Hestia Jones. A member of the Order. Who according to Madam Pomfrey had been directly involved in getting him removed from St. Mungo's and pretty vocal in her defense of the Order's actions afterwards. Any positive feelings Harry might have had for Jones had instantly evaporated with that information.

And wasn't this situation just wonderfully fishy, an Order member in the company of two Aurors, searching for Harry. Their obvious non-surprise at seeing him sitting at a random café somewhere in Muggle London certainly answered the any questions of whether this might be a coincidence, Harry thought disparagingly.

Fon calmly observed the situation, letting his Flames spread through the wider area, leaving Reborn free to focus most of his attention on their immediate surroundings and the people approaching their table. Even though Fon had no way to really interpret what was happening, it was all too clear that neither Reborn nor his Sky seemed to be pleased in the least.

Watching the three wizards approach Reborn noted that there was barely any power to speak of between them. _Nothing_ like his Sky's magic. And even though, there was very little in the world that registered as an actual threat to his instincts anymore, these three _certainly_ didn't, Reborn thought derisively.

Although that really wasn't the main concern here. These wizards had clearly known exactly where to look for Harry. A clear example of foul play, and Reborn was really looking forward to confronting whoever had decided to screw his Sky over in this instance. _Looking forward to it indeed_ , Reborn thought menacingly.

His Sky was radiating irritation as he watched them approach. Which went entirely ignored as the younger of the two wizards - wide eyes near obsessively fixed on Harry ever since spotting him – burst out as soon as they reached their table "Harry Potter! It is so wonderful to finally meet you!"

Irritation flickered through Harry at the Auror's words, even as he calmly kept his focus on the woman of the group.

Fon observed that there was a strange familiarity in the way the man spoke to Reborn's Sky despite his own assertion of never having met Harry before. The Sky certainly didn't seem to share in the familiarity. And going by his expression, Reborn appreciated it even less.

Though the newcomer remained oblivious, earnestly trying to get Harry's attention with some sort of magazine, nearly falling over his own feet trying to get closer to Harry. By getting past Reborn. _Good luck with that_ , Fon thought amused.

Still, the man babbled on, "Harry Potter, would you sign a copy of Teen Witch Weekly for my niece? She is a big fan and I promised her I would ask you when we found you."

Fon could feel Reborn's focus shift slightly to himself. And with good reason. Fon had guessed that this situation would have something to do with magic, as these people had magic as well, though at a ridiculously lower level than Reborn's Sky. But, _Teen Witch Weekly_? Fon had no words.

He actually had to take a moment to assimilate this.

While he had been aware of magic itself existing, this hinted something much more far-reaching than he had expected. Fon definitely had questions. But they could wait and until then, he would lend the support he had promised. There would be time for questions afterwards.

Fon briefly moved his eyes from scanning their surroundings to steadily and calmly meet Reborn's. The Sun tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement before returning his complete attention to the conversation taking place in front of them.

Harry wasn't even going to consider the fact that these people had just revealed the Wizarding World to Fon. Even though as a Flame user he couldn't really be called a Muggle, it should still count. Well, not Harry's fault, not his problem and he would really love to see some Ministry official trying to get past Harry, Reborn and Fon himself in order to wipe the Storm's memory. Oh, yes. _That should be quite the sight indeed_ , Harry thought vindictively even as his focus never wavered from Jones, entirely ignoring the presence of the other two wizards.

There was a slightly awkward silence before the woman attempted something of a smile. "Hello, Harry."

"Jones." Harry returned calmly.

So, his Sky knew the woman at least somewhat, but going by his demeanor it also wasn't a positive acquaintance. Possibly one of the numerous people in Harry's life that failed him, purposefully or not. Another name for The List.

There was a brief pause, before the woman apparently decided to switch gears and continued in an almost reproachful manner. "It is very good to see that you are well. We were very worried about you when you disappeared from your relatives'."

Just going by the menacing edge of Reborn's lazily curling Flames, there was clearly more to that statement than the obvious, Fon observed. He was certainly getting the impression that the woman was obliviously digging herself a nice, _deep_ grave.

Fon had to admit he was slightly surprised at the Sky being the one to handle this situation, as he had expected Reborn to do everything he could to keep his Sky out of any given conflict. It spoke of a reassuringly balanced bond between the two Flame users if Reborn let the rather young Sky handle his own conflicts.

The Sky himself showed no outward reaction at all, sitting primly and inquiring calmly, "Disappeared?"

Jones was clearly registering some of the underlying aggression in his response, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "Yes, it was very unwise to leave your relatives' without informing anyone of your whereabouts."

"Leave?" Here, Harry mockingly raised his eyebrows - sadly he had never mastered raising just one, and he had tried, oh had he tried.

Fon could not help but enjoy watching the drama currently unfolding in front of him. It was clear that the woman had been anticipating a different sort of reaction from the young Sky and was growing increasingly flustered with Harry's one-worded responses. Who suddenly didn't appear all that endearingly harmless anymore. Instead his Qi, his presence was taking on a looming edge, pressing down on the people across from them.

Reborn looked somewhere between turned on and wishing for a bowl of popcorn to enjoy with the show. Fon felt his impression confirmed that this Sky would be more than interesting to be around. Honestly, idleness was never a problem in Reborn's presence but apparently even less so if Harry was thrown into the mix.

The woman continued with forced obliviousness. "Yes, anything could have happened to you outside of the Order's protection."

Harry calmly took a sip of his tea, leaving an awkward pause before stating more forcefully. " _Protection_."

The Sky was certainly succeeding in flustering the woman, who continued. "And to find out that you were staying here in Muggle London, not letting anyone know even though there are a lot of people worrying about you right now! It was very irresponsible of you, Harry."

… Muggle. That was certainly a word Fon had never heard before. At this point, Fon had resolved to keep a list of all the words, that he had never heard before. He would have time to ask his questions later. He would indeed.

Though the last statement finally brought more of a reaction from the young Sky, as he put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly.

"Find out?" And despite the young Sky not really changing anything about just repeating a part of the woman's previous statement, instead of the slight sarcastic mockery of his previous questions, there was suddenly a lot of weight behind his tone.

The woman immediately came to a screeching halt, clearly at a loss what to say.

In the subsequent silence no one moved, waiting for a reaction, any reaction at this point. The atmosphere was growing increasingly oppressive the longer the silence continued.

Still, Harry had heard enough and had no interest in listening to another rambling statement designed to anger him into losing control. He let his eyes visibly narrow and his magic snap in the air, making the three wizards flinch. Reborn's lazy smirk just widened. Fon took another sip of his tea.

Harry let them stew for a few moments before calmly asking as though he was not letting his magic communicate just how very not pleased he was right now. "And how exactly did you _find out_ about me staying in Muggle London at the moment." Harry was very aware that there was no question mark at the end of that sentence. He had not intended there to be one.

There were very few people who even knew that he had even returned to Britain at this point, most of whom he trusted to keep his secrets, either due to loyalty or due to self-interest.

And Harry did not actually have to ask where the information leak had been. He knew the older Auror standing next to Jones. Auror Proudfoot.

Harry remembered Proudfoot to have been Savage's partner during Scrimgeour's time and certainly remembered him from Neville's stories of Hogwarts during the war. At least his loyalties were pretty predictable going by the fact that his old partner was Head Auror and by his general puffed up appearance.

Harry was sure he would be getting along with Proudfoot just as well as he had with Savage.

And as expected, it was indeed Proudfoot who responded self-importantly – confirming every thought that Harry had just had about him. "Head Auror Savage informed her most trusted officers of your return and the importance of keeping you safe from any Dark Wizards."

Harry had expected something like that, but it was still incredibly irritating. He ignored the second part of the Auror's statement. It was just the same drivel he had been forced to listen to before.

So, Savage had apparently taken the information she had gained during their confidential meeting with Kingsley and spread it around as she pleased to Ministry personnel who then apparently felt no compunctions revealing this information to their extended relatives going by the younger Auror's exclamation about his niece.

Wizards. It was probably only magic itself that let wizards survive this long at all. Otherwise they would definitely have misjudged themselves out of existence by now.

Still, the question remained, just how had they known exactly _where_ to look for him? He raised his eyebrows at the rather obvious gap in the information.

Fon was impressed at the way the young Sky was handling the situation. And at the continued silence, the younger Auror apparently saw his chance to get Harry's attention back onto himself, completely oblivious to the anger roiling in the young Sky's looming presence.

"Right after we received the Head Auror's orders, Senior Auror Proudfoot contacted the Department of Mysteries who provided us with a tracking spell to hone in on your magical signature as soon as we were close enough." The idiot explained happily.

Proudfoot clearly hadn't planned on Harry finding out this particular detail of how they had been able to pin point his location, looking uncomfortable though trying to cover his reaction. The younger Auror continued to be entirely unaware. He was near glowing at having Harry's attention and happily rambled on.

"And then thankfully, the Order of the Phoenix pointed us to this part of Muggle London, giving us a starting point. Combined with the tracking spell it proofed to be just perfect."

There was a pause.

Fon calmly expanded his list of vocabulary questions.

Harry felt calm settle over him.

So, that was how they had found him. They had used his magical signature. Which he had entirely forgotten to mask in his joy at using his magic again after such a long time.

During the war, _everyone_ had had their magic masked. No one, be they Death Eater, Auror, Order member or civilian was stupid enough to leave their magic unmasked. And Harry had had more interest than most in keeping his magical signature hidden. But the reset of his magical core would have removed those protective spells and then Harry had used his magic for the first time in months and he had entirely forgotten to reapply them.

And somehow these people had known about it, had known it was something they could exploit. How bloody _convenient_.

As for the Order supplying information of his potential whereabouts to the Ministry… They had definitely done worse to him before. Still, the war was over now, damnit all to hell. The Order had no business using and much less providing information like that to third parties.

Reborn remained focused on the three wizards even as he let his Flames curl along their bond to soothe his little Sky. He knew how hurtful it must be for Harry to hear that the Order was working with the Ministry to get their will.

Harry managed to suppress his reaction and turned back to the woman of the group, "And just how is it that the Order was aware of my general whereabouts?"

The woman had apparently also realized that this situation was not going to resolve quite the way she had envisioned. She had clearly been aiming from the start to make Harry loose control, probably with the goal to have the Aurors bring him to the Ministry for revealing magic to Muggles, or for his protection, or for endangering Ministry personnel, or whatever other ridiculous reasoning they could come up with in order to justify it.

Harry raised his eyebrows.

Hestia finally answered, trying to hide her defensiveness, "Well, a while ago Diggle saw you at St. Mungo's after the Final Battle and he followed you, to... to make sure you were doing alright. You were spotted a few times by Order members in this area afterwards. It was easy to conclude that you had a place to stay somewhere close." The smugness in her voice at her own perceived cleverness made Harry want to grind his teeth.

So, that was how they had found him.

'Having been spotted' probably meant that the Order had actively taken up their perceived duty of Harry watching again when he did not keep them up to date with his plans and actions. They had probably followed him from St. Mungo's regularly.

During the time of his frequent checkups at the hospital before the actual treatment, he had had to struggle increasingly just to make his way home at all, what with his waning attention due to his retreating magic. During that time he had been forced to Floo between St. Mungos and the Leaky cauldron. His magic had retreated to the point that he hadn't felt comfortable apparating any longer and he had refused to have a Floo connection installed at his apartment as that would have decreased the security of his place significantly and also required registration with the ministry if done legally. And he absolutely _abhorred_ portkeys and would avoid using them if at all possible. So, Floo travel from the Leaky had been pretty much his only option.

At least this was also an explanation just how the Order had known that he had been at the hospital _at all_ before they made the decision to 'get involved' with his recovery. Though, just when had they found out about this? Had they known he was visiting St. Mungo's regularly, known there was probably something wrong with him and no one had thought to actually approach him prior to him being incoherent in bed after the treatment? Had no one thought to ask him if everything was alright with him? If there was something _they_ could help _him_ with for once?

Harry forced his thoughts away from this revelation. This was the information Harry had been looking for. Just how he had been found, how they had known to look in Muggle London and to look in this area. Harry hated that it was his own fault, that he had apparently not been careful enough, by not covering his magical signature and during the time before his treatment. It was also rather embarrassing when considering that he was sharing a table with two people who had made subterfuge their profession.

Nothing to be done about it now though. He would learn from this mistake though, that much was for sure.

At this point he did not have an ounce of patience left in him for the Order or the Ministry and definitely not for the Head Auror who had not only proven herself to be the type of person Harry disliked intensely, but who had authorized his removal from the hospital without taking his health into account, moved him to the Muggle world while obviously incapacitated but then not providing him with any sort of effective protection – the Corocos had simply taken Harry and walked out the front door with him for Merlin's sake – and finally right after he had been removed from her Aurors' protection Savage had tried several times to gain access to his Gringott's vaults while supposedly trying to find Harry.

Harry was doing his best to keep his anger contained and trying to gather his composure Harry focused on his Guardian. Reborn was lazily sprawled in his chair - appearing utterly relaxed even as his Flames snapped in the air around them - and Fon seemed to be taking his cues from Reborn, calmly sipping his tea, completely impassive. If this situation was anything to go by, Harry was definitely getting a taste of why the Sun and the Storm got along so unusually well. Fon sure seemed to share Ren's love for drama and appeared to hold the rest of humanity in about the same amount of contempt, Harry thought amusedly.

It was more than a little reassuring to have the two Flame users with him, watching his back. As ridiculous as the thought was considering his current situation, Harry had never felt so absolutely assured that there was nothing and no one in this world that could actually touch him right now. The thought was more than calmling to his frayed temper.

The silence around their table stretched, but having regained his equilibrium, Harry had no interest in making any of this easier on the wizards. He was quite content to let them stew.

Finally, it was Proudfoot who couldn't hold out any longer and made another pompous attempt to get a reaction out of Harry. And a reaction he got.

Proudfoot stated pompously. "Now, we have orders to escort you to safety immediately. On the Head Auror's order you are to be escorted to your place of residence or to the Ministry in order to ensure your safety. A safety detail is to be assigned for your protection."

Harry almost wanted to laugh derisively. Ensuring his safety, were they? Oh, they clearly though themselves quite clever, setting this up in a way that Harry's only two choices would be to either reveal his current address to the Ministry – thereby becoming accessible to them at all times – or to immediately go to the Minsitry for another meeting with Savage – who probably had concocted yet another _genius_ scheme on how to force Harry into her mold of the Savior.

In this wonderful two-option-scenario of theirs, they apparently entirely forgot to factor in that Harry had no obligation at all to comply with either of the presented choices. But wasn't this just another wonderful example of the Ministry considering Harry to be some sort of public property to be ordered about.

Harry had half a mind to immediately sort out this misconception that he was to be considered public property. Instead he let his magic snap in the air around them making the wizards flinch. He knew that at this point his anger was becoming tangible in his magic which was only enhanced by Reborn's Flames coiling around them twining with his magic.

Harry loved that Reborn had let him handle the entire situation by himself so far but immediately threw himself at threatening these morons who thought Harry public property. Seeing the wizards shrinking into themselves more and more with each second of continued silence Harry felt no need to actually respond to their statement.

At this point even the non-magicals around than seemed to be starting to feel something going on around them, all of them avoiding to even _look_ in the direction of their table at this point. The waitress was making no attempts to approach their table to ask for newcomers' orders

Though with his patience as strained as it was Harry couldn't help but comment mockingly, "How strange that the Minister did not inform me of this, considering that we had agreed on something entirely different in our last meeting." Seeing Proudfoot open his mouth, Harry stated preemptively, "A meeting which included the Head Auror."

The Aurors' sudden squirming made it clear that Kingsley had not in fact been involved when this particularscheme was cooked up. Harry was relieved.

Savage had probably told her Aurors to keep this on the down low and Proudfoot at least was probably well aware that this was not Minister-sanctioned at all. So just another attempt to browbeat him into submission, make decisions for him under the guise of trying to do 'what was best' for the bloody Chosen one.

But in contrast to the last time they had tried, this time Harry was very much coherent and able to make his opinions known.

Also, for the first time in his life he had someone sitting right next to him, who was unquestionably and uncompromisingly on his side. Reborn wouldn't give a damn if the safety of the entire British Empire depended on Harry's cooperation. Actually, if Harry decided to burn down the entirety of Britain himself, Ren would be bringing the marshmallows to properly enjoy the bonfire.

The ensuing silence grew increasingly oppressive, the wizards across from them tensing further with every passing second, waiting for Harry's reaction.

Again it was Proudfoot who decided to break the silence and forge on, entirely ignoring Harry's previous statement. "We have already called reinforcements. They will provide sufficient protection on our way to the Ministry."

Hm. This was apparently the point where Reborn decided that he had enough, reminding the wizards of his presence by simply leaning forward to reach for his coffee on the table, letting his Flames join Harry's magic in pressing down on the wizards across from them.

As the Aurors flinched hilariously at Reborn's movement, almost reaching their wands in reaction, Harry reaffirmed to himself that he really needed to learn this trick of vanishing into the background at will that both Reborn and Fon seemed to have mastered to an absurd degree.

His Sun didn't deign to react to the wizards almost drawing their wands beyond raising one of his eyebrows slightly in utter condescension. And while there was no visible reaction from Fon, Harry could almost feel the disdain oozing from the man's every pore.

What impressive upholders of law and order these two Aurors were turning out to be.

Though Proudfoot immediately tried to cover his reaction by sneering in Fon's direction. Proudfoot apparently had enough survival instinct to not turn the sneer on Reborn, who - after intentionally having called the wizards' attention to his presence - was now very much projecting his killer intent onto the group. So, the Auror had apparently decided that the serenely smiling Asian would make a much easier target.

Hah. Harry almost wanted to snort in amusement.

At this point Jones decided to reinsert herself into the conversation, condescendingly stating, "You can send your friends away now, Harry. You wouldn't want to endanger anyone untrained and unable to defend themselves in case of an attack, would you?"

Wow. Harry almost felt pity for her – at being so phenomenally, catastrophically unaware - though Proudfoot's next comment put a quick stop to that particular feeling. "Yes, send them away, Potter. They will only interfere with Ministry business."

Ministry _business_ , was it? So, Harry's own status had been demoted from public property to just plain _business_ , had it?

And Harry just had enough. Simply enough. Enough of the Wizarding World's incompetence, their arrogance, their utter disregard for Harry's own notions of what his life should look like. Enough of hearing the phrase _'for your own good, Harry_ ' - not that anyone ever took responsibility when those actions turned out to be anything but - and definitely enough of anyone claiming to be trying to do what was best for him.

He was done being treated as though he were incapable of making his own decisions, of being ordered around, pushed to the front whenever it suited those in power and being put back on a shelf whenever they had no need for him. Enough of being treated like a bloody commodity - Harry Potter, the Chosen One, always and unquestionably at your service.

And now they obviously had something else they wanted from him. And Harry simply did not care anymore whether they wanted political support, his money, his fame, his status, his votes or even just his bloody opinion. Harry was done.

Reborn had obviously noticed the very moment Harry had decided that enough was enough as his Flames turned from aggressive to foreboding. And Fon easily adjusted his Flames accordingly.

Slowly, he turned his entire focus on Hestia Jones. Who suddenly looked as though she might want to be anywhere but here at this moment. She had clearly seen enough of Harry's reactions during the war to know that silence, stillness was the worst reaction you could possibly get from Harry Potter. She was right. His magic was only ever still when it was at the verge of exploding.

And Harry very much felt like that might happen. Soon.

But as annoying as these people were, they were not actually the ones he wanted to explode on. He had no interest in these imbeciles. Oh no, he had bigger fish to fry. He knew exactly where he had to go to express his utter discontent with the situation.

He knew very well.

Harry calmly got up from his chair. Reborn and Fon followed unhurriedly.

Fon could come. If only to enjoy the show that would follow.

Harry did not care that he had met Fon just yesterday. Ren trusted this man, so Harry would as well. The Storm had already agreed to support them and it was only fair to let the Storm know what sort of situation would be getting himself into regarding the magical world – which the three morons had so easily revealed to the Chinese. Harry had not been able to tell whether Fon had actually been surprised by the revelations as his face hadn't given anything away, but at least Harry wouldn't have to worry about that part.

Harry simply walked past the three wizards, flanked by the other two Flame users.

He certainly did not need any help in getting to the Ministry just to have a word with a certain Head Auror regarding any future plans made with him in mind.

And he would be having words with Savage indeed. Harry felt a decidedly unpleasant smile settle on his lips. After their talk, he doubted Savage would be willing to make any plans regarding the Chosen One again anytime soon. Or ever really.

The threat curling menacingly at the edges of Reborn's barely there smirk as well as the calm condescension oozing from Fon's placid smile, Harry could see from the corner of his eyes, promised as much.

The wizards reacted with affront to their leaving without comment.

Harry just walked passed them, straight into a small alley while thinking of Fawkes. The phoenix appeared as soon as they left the view of any watching muggles entirely. Harry calmly reached for the phoenix, followed by Reborn. Fon copied them.

Just before they disappeared Harry saw the group of wizards burst around the corner into the alley.

With their wands drawn.

Maybe he should have waited a bit to leave after all, Harry thought mournfully. It would definitely have been satisfying to see the wizards trying to go up against Reborn and Fon, or at the very least amusing. For all of three seconds before either Reborn or Fon finished it, Harry thought with disdain as he felt the phoenix fire envelop him.

* * *

 **A/N:** I adore you guys! Thanks so much for the many awesome reviews! They just keep pulling me back :)

This chapter didn't turn out the way I had it planned (the original version of this chapter was even _more_ angsty... still no idea why though). It also took me a lot longer than I had hoped despite it being an improvement compared to the last update... Real life doesn't seem to be letting up at all though and at this point I have kind of resigned myself to not returning to weekly updates anytime soon :( I'm still hoping for an improvement, though!

At least there is some plot development, the confrontations are starting, Fon is joining them and George is about to be introduced. So, progress *hooray* and I promise I will get to the actual plot soon :)

Also, thanks to anyone who commented on my English, pointed out typos or corrected me on any other languages I tried to incorporate. Comments are always welcome :)

 _Wǒ de tiān a - heavens above!_

As always no comments on future Guardians or how the Arcobaleno will be tied into this story :)


	19. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Don't own.

Continues right after chapter 16.

* * *

 _End of chapter 16:_

 _And he would be having words with Savage indeed. Harry felt a decidedly unpleasant smile settle on his lips. After their talk, he doubted Savage would be willing to make any plans regarding the Chosen One again anytime soon. Or ever really._

 _The threat curling menacingly at the edges of Reborn's barely there smirk as well as the calm condescension oozing from Fon's placid smile, Harry could see from the corner of his eyes, promised as much._

 _The wizards reacted with affront to their leaving without comment._

 _Harry just walked passed them, straight into a small alley while thinking of Fawkes. The phoenix appeared as soon as they left the view of any watching muggles entirely. Harry calmly reached for the phoenix, followed by Reborn. Fon copied them._

 _Just before they disappeared Harry saw the group of wizards burst around the corner into the alley._

 _With their wands drawn._

 _Maybe he should have waited a bit to leave after all, Harry thought mournfully. It would definitely have been satisfying to see the wizards trying to go up against Reborn and Fon, or at the very least amusing. For all of three seconds before either Reborn or Fon finished it, Harry thought with disdain as he felt the phoenix fire envelop him._

* * *

Chapter 17

The Ministry Atrium was just as busy as it was on any other given day, bustling with activity of people coming and going via the numerous fire places lining the sides of the hall, appearing and disappearing in the assigned apparition spots or the designated portkey areas, lining up at the wand checking counter or happily chatting in small groups scattered throughout the hall.

Though a sudden flash of brilliant phoenix fire brought the bustling activity to a screeching halt, everyone's attention - assigned guards, Ministry workers and random wizards milling about - was instantly focused on the area between the apparition and portkey areas. Only to be left staring speechlessly at the sight of their supposedly missing Savior in their midst.

Harry took a calm look around, showing no reaction to the people gawking from all sides, before smoothly starting for the elevators at the other side of the Atrium, Reborn and Fon seamlessly falling into step on either side of him. Fawkes remained in flight, swooping above their heads.

It was quite the spectacular sight. And exactly what Harry had been going for.

Harry knew that the news of his appearance in the Ministry of Magic would quickly travel around the Ministry and beyond. Harry was so done being used as a pawn and if Savage was going to try and use the knowledge of his return to Britain to further her own agenda, he was going to make damn sure that his return would be common knowledge throughout magical Britain by lunch.

Reborn couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun without him having to somehow exacerbate a situation into utter chaos while trying to stave off his boredom. There was certainly no need in this situation, people being left speechless just by their mere presence.

His little Sky - flanked by Reborn to his left and Fon to his right, both of them half a step behind Harry to cover all potential angles of attack, Fawkes remaining in flight, swooping above their heads – was confidently making his way across the impressive hall they had arrived in, his magic swirling in the air around them. Harry was clearly still irritated though at this point the anger had given way to menacing resolve. Reborn was truly looking forward to the confrontation that was about to take place with the apparently suicidal Head Auror.

 _Life is good_ , Reborn smirked to himself.

Fon had to admit that the events today were going far beyond anything he had been expecting. Even the instantaneous travel - _by fire bird?_ – aside and ignoring the fact that they had arrived in a place that itself was practically _drenched_ in magic and that was _crowded_ with people who _all_ had at least _some_ magic, many of which were staring at them – rooted to the spot, mouths hanging open, some of them gripping a strange collection of house-hold items like a single old shoe, a fishing rod or an electric kettle... It certainly made for an entertaining picture.

And most interestingly, while the people around them stared at the young Sky in awe and wonder and adoration, there was also apprehension in their eyes. Oh, there was certainly a story there, a story of devastation and adulation, a story Fon could not wait to hear.

Fon let his placid smile widen slightly. If today was a sign of things to come if he stayed with Reborn and his magical Sky, it might actually become a challenge at some point to constantly maintain his mask.

 _I do so love a challenge_ , he thought contently.

Letting some of his magic continue to coil in the air around them somewhat calmed Harry's frayed temper. Also making it uncompromisingly clear - even to the normally so forcefully oblivious sheeple - that approaching him for any reason would be an incredibly bad idea, Chosen One or not.

For once, Harry even found a certain satisfaction in being able to simply walk past the wand checking counter, no one so much as trying to stop them. Definite perks of being the Savior, and a clearly pissed off one at that. They reached the elevators in record time. The poor Ministry scribe waiting for the elevators, squeaked at the sight of them and scrambled to the side not even attempting to enter with them. Reborn's lazy smirk only widened further.

In the elevator, Reborn settled just behind Harry - Harry gladly took in the few moments of relative privacy that the elevator provided, leaning some of his weight against his Guardian's chest.

Fawkes had taken his usual spot on Harry's opposite shoulder. Harry turned to Fon – who he had not even exchanged that many words with until now – giving a slightly sheepish grin, "By the way, welcome to the Ministry of Magic." He couldn't help the slightly droll tone of voice.

Fon just smiled at him placidly, the very picture of serenity, "Thank you. Today has certainly been eventful. Although, I would certainly enjoy a slightly more comprehensive tour at a later point in time."

Harry grinned sardonically, "Oh yes, a slightly more thorough introduction might be a good idea."

It was definitely a new experience for Harry to have such unwavering and unquestioning support even while gearing up to rip into some of the country's more powerful members. Two people who were simply following his lead, not questioning whether it would be a good idea or not, but rather assured in their own ability to strike down the opposition if necessary. It was more than reassuring.

The almost merry atmosphere between them also helped Harry calm the last of his anger – it was incredible how soothing the presence of these two Flame users was to Harry - and their agreement to discuss the Wizarding World between the three of them as soon as this 'situation' was done with, also soothed the nagging fear that had been pushing at him since yesterday. The fear of how Fon might react to magic. And Harry ignored all the reasons why it was so very important to him that Fon was not reacting negatively to magic. Why his Flames and magic calmed at the assurance that the Storm would stay with them despite his abrupt introduction into the Wizarding World.

Reborn was clearly picking up on some of the apprehension Harry was feeling as he slightly tightened the arm around Harry's waist. Still, the smirk on his face did not waver.

His Sun was clearly looking forward to the upcoming confrontation, especially as it would be so very easy to lay blame. Their meeting with Kingsley a few days ago had been for the specific purpose of informing the DMLE of Harry's return to Britain to prevent any misunderstandings with the magical law enforcement, but according to Proudfoot's boasting, Savage had informed only a handful of her 'most trusted' Aurors instead.

Which, while unsurprising, was still all kinds of infuriating.

And also quite stupid. Savage had met Reborn. She should know better. Well, if anyone tried to arrest them for impersonating the Savior, any bruising on the Aurors would be on Savage's own head for trying some half-manipulative bullshit to further her own agenda and not keeping her department informed.

Savage was probably trying to keep the Savior's return quiet until she could browbeat him into agreeing to join the Aurors or at least into accepting that 24/7 Auror guard.

 _The Ministry had to be seen to be doing something._ And the protecting the Savior would definitely be _something_ in the eyes of the public.

The Savior under the Ministry's protection. Protection by Aurors. The same Aurors who had been entirely content to stick their head into the sand during most the war and wait out the worst of it. While children fought endlessly, _desperately_ , hopelessly.

Those Aurors.

Right.

And as the elevator stopped at the DMLE, Harry almost let his lip curl in derision at the idea of exchanging the protection of his Sun for some Ministry stooges. The thought alone was laughable.

They were greeted by the usual chaos of the Auror office - Aurors hurrying to and fro, Unspeakables appearing seemingly from nowhere, a few reporters scattered around the room, civilians lodging this or that complaint and the occasional hunter collecting a bounty – and some of the people present noticed their entry immediately, instantly zeroing in on their little group.

It took quite a bit longer for the room at large to notice them, as marked by the ensuing silence.

Harry ignored all of them and calmly made his way across the room towards the Head Auror's office.

Then chaos erupted as some of the Aurors present scrambled to do, well, _something_ \- Harry wasn't entirely certain whether most of them were trying to go for their wand to arrest the Savior-impostor or trying to get closer to request his autograph.

Harry had no patience for either.

He let his magic snap, just for an instance, a single surge of his magic, pressing down on everyone in the room with them. It was certainly effective in stopping everyone in their tracks.

Harry took an impassive look around, further impressing his displeasure before continuing towards the secretary's desk in front of the Head Auror's office. He must have appeared sufficiently impressive, especially with Fawkes still settled on his shoulder - unapologetically claiming Harry's shoulder as his own as he was wont to do whenever it suited him – who joined him in staring unimpressed at the people present.

Reborn thought the double stare-down was plainly adorable.

And he loved watching his little Sky command an entire room full of trained professionals with a single scathing glance around and a quick pulse of his magic. _What a sight indeed_ , he thought feeling a shiver of arousal and possessiveness at once again seeing Harry's authority unchallenged, his dominance unquestioned.

Next to him, Fon smiled placidly at the Auror positioned behind the secretary while Reborn turned slightly, lazily observing the room. Several people actually flinched when Reborn turned his casual regard on them.

Harry couldn't help but think with mock surprise, that there were some people _after all_ who could actually tell that there was something about his Sun that simply _shouldn't_ be, couldn't be ignored. At least if you liked making it through the day in one piece.

Especially, the two wizards standing at a desk close by – not Aurors just by the look of their rather functional clothing instead of the bulky robes wizards preferred, most likely hunters or maybe hitwizards - had not taken their eyes off the three of them ever since they entered.

The woman sitting behind the secretary's desk was still staring open-mouthed. Harry gave her a chance to gather herself but when her expression didn't change after a few moments, he stated calmly. "The Head Auror... requested my presence for a meeting."

That seemed to be enough to shake the secretary from her gawping. But being addressed directly still seemed to be beyond her capabilities as she only reacted with a shrill, "Mr. Potter!"

A brief pause. Harry barely refrained from rolling his eyes in annoyance, before responding with a deadpan, "Yes, that's me."

In that moment the Auror Floo activated and spat out the three stooges, Proudfoot at the head. They must have sprinted the entire way to the Leaky cauldron to make it here this quickly.

They were also followed by a group of four more people in slightly transfigured Auror-red coats. Ah, those must be the reinforcements that had been called to 'ensure his safety' on his way to the Ministry. Running a calm eye over them Harry confirmed that he didn't know any of them and that they looked entirely clueless as to what was currently going on.

 _Oh yes, what wonderful protection they would have made with_ that _level of awareness_ , Harry thought mockingly.

Harry watched their approach calmly, Proudfoot huffing and puffing alongside a nervous looking Hestia Jones and the happily bouncing younger Auror – whose name Harry still didn't know.

Spotting Harry, Proudfoot exclaimed angrily. "Harry Potter!"

Merlin, could people _please_ get over calling his name like that! Harry felt his irritation surge and decided that if he had to deal with this sort of annoyance, he would at least drag as many people as possible along with him. Which, coming from him, could almost be considered a threat, if he said so himself. Snape would agree.

Accordingly, Harry turned some of his focus on Proudfoot and confirmed the Auror's exclamation with a deadpan, "Yes?"

Proudfoot puffed out even further in anger as he finally reached them, repeating, "Potter!"

And although the man was clearly intending to continue, Harry interrupted him by nodding helpfully, "Truly."

Proudfoot's looked like he might combust from anger at this point, but even as the man opened his mouth to continue, the door to the Head Auror's office opened. And out stepped Savage.

Neither Fon nor Reborn reacted to her appearance beyond compensating for the presence of another potential threat. Reborn moving slightly closer to Harry in a casual move that Harry was certain no else even noticed while Fon moved a little further away for a wider field of vision.

Harry couldn't help but be fascinated by the easy and entirely nonverbal byplay.

Savage clearly had not been expecting to see Harry in front of her office without warning going by her surprised exclamation of "Mr. Potter!"

Harry just couldn't help himself and responded with an almost cheerful, "Indeed."

He could have sworn one of the most-likely-hunters to their right actually snorted in amusement at that.

Harry doubted that Savage would be stupid enough to actually start their discussion in front of witnesses. She had to have at least some political awareness in order to have gotten her position and being chewed out by the Savior was about the worst thing you could possibly do in the current political climate.

Sadly, Savage seemed to be aware of this, pulling herself up - though who she was trying to impress was anyone's guess - and stated patronizingly, "Mr. Potter, I am glad that we could arrange this meeting."

Harry almost wanted to snort at that. So, she was trying to make it seem as though this meeting had been desired equally on both sides, was she? Hmpf. It was about time he taught her that any plans made with Harry Potter in mind had a tendency to go topsy-turvy quite quickly. Just ask Voldemort.

So, with a pleasant smile, Harry nodded as though agreeing with Savage, "Yes, I'm glad I could make the time despite the suddenness of your request." Not giving Savage any time to actually respond, Harry turned to the secretary, "Has Minister Shacklebolt given any indication about when he will be able to join us?"

And Harry would definitely be making sure that Kingsley was present for this meeting. Not because he actually needed the help, but because of their mutual understanding that had developed during and after the war. They agreed on the most important topics – such as human and creature rights - and trusted the man to never be swayed by promises of personal gain. Additionally, having been an Order member for years, Kingsley had experienced enough of Dumbledore's highhanded for-the-Greater-Good tactics to be averse to falling into that same trap himself.

And Harry also knew that having the Minister in his corner afforded him definite additional leeway as well, because Kingsley _the Minister_ would not demand anything from Harry _the Savior_ beyond what he was truly willing to give, even if it actually made the man's job harder. As had been reaffirmed during their last meeting where Kingsley had clearly still been expecting Harry to join the Auror corps or return to Hogwarts to provide a stabilizing force in the public eye, but had immediately backed off when Harry had made his contrary decision clear.

Similarly, Kingsley knew that if he ever truly needed Harry's support either in the form of his Wizengamot votes or in his role as the Man-Who-Conquered, Harry would grant it immediately.

Manus manum lavat, at its best.

And between the two of them - with Kingsley being the effective political leader of Magical Britain and Harry holding the confidence of the people - they were in the unique position of combining almost the entirety of the support of the British Wizarding population.

While the Minister was in fact elected, it was also the _only_ elected office in the British Ministry of Magic, giving the Minister a tremendous amount of power based on popular opinion. If only because the sheeple rarely cared to learn the names of anyone else in the Ministry. If pressed, the magical people of Britain would always go with the guy that they themselves had put into office - whether they actually liked him or not - and would side with him above anyone else. Even if they had no clue what was actually going on. It was the reason why Fudge had been able to get away with so much when he held the office.

Very few – if any – politicians in the British Ministry of Magic would be stupid enough to go directly against the Minister.

Well, and also, Kingsley's presence at this meeting would make the discussion so much more uncomfortable for Savage, which in itself was already reason enough to ensure the man's presence.

Turning back to Savage, Harry continued seamlessly, "I'm assuming Minister Shacklebolt will be joining us if we are to continue our discussion from last week?"

There. That was more than enough. Savage couldn't afford to be seen actively preventing the Minister's presence after having been publicly reminded of it.

Something Savage was clearly aware of going by her expression. She was grinding her teeth while glaring at Harry, leaving no doubt to any onlookers with half a brain exactly what was transpiring here. The two most-likely-hunters-maybe-hitwizards off to the side were grinning in amusement, clearly enjoying the show they were unexpectedly being provided with.

Harry hadn't even gotten started - not to even mention Reborn and Fon - and was just waiting for Savage to give him an opportunity to do so.

Savage possibly realized this as well. The Head Auror almost visibly swallowed down her retort to Harry's 'suggestion' and gave a magnanimous nod towards her secretary.

Then she made a gesture towards her office. "We should get started right away, to spare some of the Minister's time."

But Harry wasn't quite done here yet. Because this right here, the current discussion in full public view - here in the Auror department where you could find people from all parts of the British and even international Magical World, including the different law enforcement agencies, with civilians, criminals and reporters mixed in - was the actual power-play.

Savage had tried to use him and his title to promote her own standing in the eyes of her department, of the Ministry and of the public. Harry would do his utmost best to undermine any of her efforts, to turn them to the opposite effect even.

If fifth year had taught him anything, it was that in Magical Britain popular opinion was _everything_.

And Harry wasn't here to 'discuss' viewpoints on whether he might register his address with the Ministry or whether he would accept an Auror guard or whether he would reconsider returning to Hogwarts or joining the Auror corps. Or whether it was at all acceptable for the Ministry to track him down like a common criminal.

He was here to cut Savage back to size, to make it clear to her that even the attempt to use him in any way would come at a very steep cost to her own standing, to once and for all end any attempts to treat him as public property, to clarify for her and if need be the entirety of the Ministry that if anyone so much as dared to interfere with his privacy like this again, heads would be rolling. Literally or figuratively.

Harry almost wanted to smile at the anticipatory menace he could feel from his Sun, as Fon looked on serenely.

So, Harry responded pleasantly, "Of course! I would love to meet the Aurors that you had intended to assign for my personal guard last week. It is a shame that I had to turn down that particular... offer, as I had already arranged for my protection after the alarming happenings that disrupted my recovery at St. Mungo's weeks ago." Harry cheerfully pointed out.

The woman's glare reached a new level of baleful intensity even as she was clearly trying to suppress her reactions. She was only minimally successful. But the Aurors all the way across the room might not be able to hear her grinding her teeth anymore. Probably.

Sadly, before he could continue further escalating the situation in full view of the entire Auror department, Kingsley strode through into the room.

 _Huh, that was quick_ , Harry thought but he should have expected for the news of his spectacular entrance to reach the Minister quickly.

Kingsley easily made his way over to their group. "Harry, it is good to see you again. I heard you were visiting." There was definite amusement in the man's voice, though he lost none of the shrewdness in his eyes, especially when he noticed Hestia standing with their group.

"Did you now?" Harry just blinked innocently as he reached out to shake the man's hand. Harry said with a slight smile. "It's good to see you as well."

Then he immediately proceeded to introductions, making it even clearer how little he thought of everyone compared to Kingsley. "Kingsley, this is Fon. Fon, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, the British Minister of Magic." Considering that Fon was obviously foreign, Harry could get away with this sort of introduction without anyone suspecting Fon's missing knowledge of who Kingsley was due to him being non-magical.

Fon bowed politely, never once taking his attention off the other people present or moving from his position, maintaining his impassive mask despite his swirling thoughts. Even disregarding the animated inanimate objects everywhere, instant travel through fire – by holding onto a bird? - or people blinking in and out of existence without warning, there being a _British_ Minister of Magic was definitely the thing to get stuck on. _British_. As in, requiring a distinction from other magical government leaders. The implications of that alone…

Harry continued, "And you have already met Reborn."

Reborn nodded to the Minister of Magic - and wasn't that still one of the strangest descriptors he had ever had for a person – from his position right next to his Sky. His little Sky who had an entire room playing so beautifully to his fiddle. And going by the muted menace he could still feel from his Sky, it was only going to get better. Reborn ignored the people who flinched at seeing the wicked grin that spread over his face at that thought.

Kingsley nodded to both men in greeting before turning back to Harry, responding with the same ease that had made him one of the very few Order members Harry had actually liked during the war. "Still, I was not expecting to see you again so soon. What brings you to the Ministry and to the DMLE in particular?"

Kingsley had clearly figured out that something was going on but Harry still kept up the wonderful charade they had going for the benefit of the gawking masses. "Ah, you see, I am not quite sure yet about the Head Auror's reasons for requesting a meeting. So far, the Aurors who were sent to find me in Muggle London only informed me that my immediate presence was requested for a meeting."

After a brief pause, Harry continued. "I was quite concerned that something might have happened since our meeting a few days ago. Especially, as the DMLE went through quite a bit of trouble to find me, even involving the Order and the Department of Mysteries, despite me informing you both of my current health restrictions due to my ongoing recovery."

There. That should give the Daily Prophet reporter - who was trying to hide his furious scribbling behind one of the more burly Aurors - enough information to make up some wonderfully exaggerated story about the Saviors woes. Including the fact that Harry might still be recovering from something. At the very least the stories they would come up with to fit all these hints should be an amusing read if nothing else. It also left barely any wiggle room for Savage to talk her way out of this situation.

It was always good to lay some groundwork in case Harry needed to start pointing fingers in the near future.

 _After all, Madam Pomfrey will be the first to back up any claims about my tumultuous recovery being to blame for any delay in my full-time return to the Wizarding World_ , Harry thought vindictively.

Hestia Jones was almost gaping at this point, clearly having had no idea that Kingsley had been in contact with Harry at all since his return. _It helps if you talk to people and not just assume you know everything_ , Harry thought disdainfully.

Harry finished his performance with, "I had just inquired about your presence for this meeting. I hope the timing does not interfere with your schedule?"

Kingsley had turned his gaze on Savage, but confirmed gravely. "Oh no, not at all." A brief pause. "Why don't we move this to my office? Is your Floo available, Head Auror Savage?"

Harry vindictively observed the angry flush that had spread over Savage's face at being entirely excluded from their brief discussion. Her standing in the Ministry would definitely suffer from this. She was still able to gather enough of her composure to state through clenched teeth, "Yes, of course."

She took a step to the side, letting Kingsley enter first. Reborn immediately followed - always ahead of his Sky to eliminate any potential threats, especially now that he had Fon there to watch their backs. Harry refrained from shaking his head at his Guardian's protectiveness - it still warmed his insides every time it happened - but he couldn't even gather the slightest bit of irritation considering that Reborn had not once tried to interfere with Harry's handling of the current situation.

Harry just wandered after his Sun sedately.

Quite a few people followed, though there was a brief standstill when Fon - insisting on his I'm-a-polite-Asian-façade - held the door for the last person before firmly closing the door behind himself.

The same scene would probably repeat itself at the in-house Floo connection to the Minister's office.

Harry certainly had to give it to Fon. So far the man had not shown any sort of noticeable reaction to anything he was witnessing here today, including the moving portraits, the self-writing quills and the flying, inter-department paper messages – things that even still threw Harry from time to time.

As he followed Reborn through the Floo – telegraphing his movements, so Fon could easily copy him - Harry thought admiringly to himself, that 'unflappable' really wasn't sufficient to describe Fon's control over his own reactions.

Being the third to enter Kingsley's office via the Floo, Harry immediately noticed the fourth presence. An older man in slate grey robes was standing next to Kingsley in front of the imposing office desk, watching Reborn with suspicion. Harry thought he might actually have seen this wizard somewhere before, though he couldn't quite remember where.

Thankfully, Kingsley introduced them as soon as Harry stepped up next to his Sun, "Harry, this is Head Unspeakable Croaker."

Ah, this was the Unspeakable Mr. Weasley had pointed out during the Quidditch World Cup. Though, _Head_ Unspeakable? Impressive.

Kingsley continued. "Croaker, you know Harry Potter and this is Reborn, Harry's security detail, who will be joined by Fon in a moment."

Hm, not quite accurate, but it worked well enough as a reason for Reborn and Fon's presence, which Kingsley had probably been intending in the first place.

Amusingly, no one in their group actually reached out to shake hands, only exchanging nods in greeting. _Paranoia all around_ , Harry thought with amusement.

When the Floo stopped spitting out people – Fon being the last - Kingsley gestured everyone to the seating area on the other side of the room. Settling almost across from Kingsley, Harry was again amazed how Reborn and Fon angled themselves in a way that had them cover each other's blind spots - Reborn lazily sprawled in the chair to Harry's left and Fon sitting almost primly to his right.

Croaker was watching them with shrewd eyes. The man certainly had quite the presence, though as the meeting started he almost seemed to disappear from view, clearly using some sort of spell to cloak himself. _What's with all the people who can vanish at will recently?_ Harry grumbled to himself.

Kingsley took a look around all the people gathered in his office, before turning to Savage pointedly.

The woman immediately jumped at the chance to make herself look better. "I'm glad we could arrange this meeting, even though I'm sorry to say that Mister Potter must have misunderstood the Aurors who ran into him in Muggle London."

Harry almost wanted to let his lip curl in derision. _Misunderstood_? _Ran into_? Well then.

If she wanted to play, she could look somewhere else for an opponent willing to lower themselves to her level.

While Harry had been portraying the naïve, teenaged hero in the Auror office, it had solely been for the benefit of the public. In this far more limited setting and with the secrecy spells that were in place in the Minister's office, Harry easily rid himself of his previous affable mask, doing nothing to hide the mocking in his voice, "Oh? I thought they were pretty straightforward. According to Auror Proudfoot your direct orders were for them to seek me out and either escort me to my current residence or to the Ministry for a meeting. Please do clear up the misunderstanding, though."

Going by her rising flush, Savage hadn't expected him to suddenly switch tracks. Narrowing her eyes at him, her voice gained a frosty edge as she tried to recover, "But of course, an Auror guard for the Savior is an absolute necessity, if only to assure the public that The-Man-Who-Conquered is protected from the dark forces at all times."

 _This again?_ She was clearly ignoring the smackdown his Sun had given her during their last meeting for this very suggestion. What a wonderfully selective memory she had.

"This topic was already concluded during our last meeting and shouldn't be a point of discussion at this point. But to reiterate, there will be no Auror protection detail for me, at any point." Harry stated firmly.

Savage floundered for a moment at the finality of his statement, "I simply assumed you might have reconsidered your stance on this issue."

Kingsley was frowning at Savage over his steepled hands, clearly unhappy with the apparent reason for this meeting, but so far not saying anything. The man knew that Harry could take care of himself, didn't need direct support, but just the Minister's presence prevented Savage from trying any of the less than savory tactics to force Harry's compliance.

"There is nothing to be reconsidered." Harry stated with finality. "I have seen to my own protection, which is more than sufficient and does not require any form of input from the DMLE."

At this point, Proudfoot practically exploded in anger, "Now listen here, Potter, just because the media has overinflated your ego ever since you were born to your overprivileged life - "

Harry silenced the man with a single look that was more effective in conveying his disdain than anything he might have put into words. Still with insulting him with things that he had had to listen to ever since he stepped foot into this world at the age of eleven? Harry almost felt sorry for them trying to get a reaction out of him this way. If Snape had been good for one thing, it was for ensuring that Harry had about the thickest skin imaginable for insults and Snape had certainly been far more impressive in the delivery than _Proudfoot_ of all people.

An awkward silence followed, which Harry ended by commenting impassively, "I do not enjoy being insulted. Please refrain from trying to do so."

At his side, Reborn let his grin widen slightly as Fon just continued to smile placidly from where he appeared to be engaged in a staring match with the one of the Aurors. The poor wizard was sweating buckets under the Storm's regard, but appeared to be entirely incapable of actually turning away, frozen like a rabbit in the face of a snake.

Proudfoot continued to gape at him well after Harry had already turned his attention back to Savage.

Savage was clearly floundering and Harry was just waiting for her to dig herself a little further into her nice little hole. He didn't have to wait for long.

She was now growing increasingly flustered with Harry simply refusing to submit to her demands in any way, but tried to bring the others onto her side by exclaiming, "But it is tantamount for the DMLE to be seen keeping the Savior safe. The Aurors need to be kept informed about your whereabouts at all times in case there is an attack by dark forces. The DMLE has to be able to reach the Savior immediately."

Ah, there it was. She wasn't even really trying to cover the fact that she wanted access to Harry not only to keep him 'protected' but also so she could call on him whenever she pleased for support against the supposed 'dark forces'.

Yeah.

Not happening.

He turned the entirety of his focus on her, before stating with absolute calm, "No."

 _Hm, this meeting escalated impressively quickly_ , Fon thought to himself with some amusement.

Still, Fon had to guess at most of what was actually going on here, seeing as he had no context regarding the personal relevance to Reborn and his Sky or the world Fon had been 'introduced' to unexpectedly. But the young Sky was certainly handling himself quite well, especially considering that these people were apparently the absolute top of the magical government. Though most of them certainly were less than impressive. _And the law enforcement officers especially so_ , Fon thought, when a slight tilt of his head startled the man across from him into a coughing fit at the movement. _How truly pathetic_ , Fon thought disdainfully.

After a few moments of stunned silence in the room, it was the young Sky continued with finality. "I can be contacted via the usual channels. My current address will remain unregistered for security reasons." Certainly able to handle himself, this one.

Harry was annoyed. They were just going in circles at this point. About time to turn this argument around on the Head Auror. Harry almost wanted to bare his teeth. "But I agree that it would indeed be very detrimental to public morale if something were to happen to any of the war's more prominent fighters at this point. Especially if the Ministry could potentially be accused of ineptly handling their safety."

Silence. Again.

Clearly no one had been expecting Harry to agree with any of Savage's points, least of all the Head Auror herself, going by her slightly gaping mouth. Taking in the reactions around the room, Harry thought he deserved a pat on the back for his act.

Well, Kingsley certainly knew that Harry would not simply give in like this and rightfully expecting some sort of turnabout, watching Harry over his steepled hands. At Harry's side, Reborn was entirely relaxed, clearly guessing where Harry was going with this based on the merrily foreboding churning of his Flames.

Harry nodded sagely - he might be overdoing it a bit at this point, but he was too annoyed to care - and continued, "Which brings me back to the topic of compromised security and the question of just how the DMLE was able to find me in the middle of Muggle London. I find myself quite concerned that the means to do so, are so readily available in the Ministry of Magic."

There.

Let them try talking their way out of that one.

While it was the Head Auror's purview to request assistance from the Department of Mysteries, her Aurors certainly didn't contrary to what Proudfoot had said earlier about the tracking spell. Harry could guess that this was also the reason for Croaker's presence.

His thoughts were confirmed, when his last statement had Croaker leaning forward slightly, uncloaking his presence and making a few people flinch. The Head Unspeakable asked pointedly, "I have to join in on that particular question. The spell that was used to pin point Lord Potter's location was provided by my department, but no formal request was lodged."

And wow. The Unspeakable certainly had quite the commanding presence. The man didn't even formulate a question but the Aurors who were present immediately started spluttering, about official channels and necessity to speed up the process and the urgency of the situation and this is how they had always done it. Nicely digging themselves in deeper and deeper with every word coming out of their mouths.

The 'discussion' ended fairly quickly. With Croaker and another Unspeakable leading the Aurors unceremoniously from the room to ensure an immediate investigation into the mentioned claim of this being 'how it's always been done', Savage watching on in impotent fury.

Harry certainly hadn't been expecting to be joined in his crusade to cut these imbeciles back to size by the Head of the Unspeakables, who gave an acknowledging nod to both Kingsley and Harry as he left the room.

Harry leaned back in his seat, slightly nonplussed. What an interesting day this was shaping up to be.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I'm not at all happy with this chapter. It didn't turn out as planned at all and just kept going on and on and on (although, at least a few new characters are introduced, dynamics in the WW should be clearer and I had fun testing Fon's poker face ^^). But still not much actual progress, so I decided to cut off the meeting pretty much in the middle. Sorry for the abrupt ending X-D

I'm not sure whether I should include any more of the meeting in the next chapter (though either way I won't include much more) or just continue with the next scene right away… What do you think? Feedback would be wonderful :)

You guys are awesome and the last chapter alone gained more than 200 reviews (°o°) Continuous reviews keep me hooked and pretty much unable to do anything else :)

As always, thanks to anyone who pointed out mistakes, typos or language errors. Comments on my English are always welcome :) Especially thanks to **Celesta SunStar** for her help with pointing out mistakes and extensive feedback!

Chapter 16 review responses:

Because a lot of people asked: This fic is set after HP and before KHR and even before the Arcobaleno arc (will become very clear very soon). But I also intend to make this a complete cross between the two 'verses, meaning all the KHR chars are going to appear at some point, though I will be messing around with background stories (as you probably realized already based on what I've written on Fon and Reborn so far) and I will completely screw up the timeline.

 **To Yurei-san** : Thank you for the review! Luna and Neville will appear soon-ish (?) and so will Andy and Teddy. At least I hope so :)

 **To Ebona Nite** : Thanks for your review! Well spotted, but Fon is in the same boat as Reborn as in they don't have magic but due to their Flames they aren't really muggles either :) Fon is just aware of magic in general due to his travels, though he had no idea that magic went beyond an additional spiritual awareness and definitely unaware of magical communities or anything of the sort.


	20. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Don't own.

Continues almost immediately after chapter 17.

* * *

 _End of chapter 17:_

 _The 'discussion' ended fairly quickly. With Croaker and another Unspeakable leading the Aurors unceremoniously from the room to ensure an immediate investigation into the mentioned claim of this being 'how it's always been done', Savage watching on in impotent fury._

 _Harry certainly hadn't been expecting to be joined in his crusade to cut these imbeciles back to size by the Head of the Unspeakables, who gave an acknowledging nod to both Kingsley and Harry as he left the room._

 _Harry leaned back in his seat, slightly nonplussed. What an interesting day this was shaping up to be._

* * *

Chapter 18

Reborn had rarely felt quite this annoyed.

At least the current combination of idiocy, self-importance and utter ignorance being shown off in the Minister's office was a good chance to start forming subcategories on 'The List'. As in 'the list of people Reborn intended to visit in the near future in order to discuss their life choices and their involvement in his Sky's life'. That list.

He had been getting short on targets anyways.

Soon after the Unspeakables' rather dramatic exit, the meeting had descended into chaos. Because seeing the DMLE reprimanded for their actions had _somehow_ given everyone else the impression that this would be the best point in time to make their _own_ opinions regarding 'the Savior's duties to the Wizarding World' known. Listening to these utter wastes of space talk about his Sky - arguing about which of their concerns Harry was to address first and how he was to go about it - as though their regarding his Sky's life and future choices was requested, welcome or _permitted..._

Yes, Reborn was annoyed.

As could be felt in his Flames and Reborn let some of his Flames leak into the room to join Fon's, which were curling with the Storm's derision at the audacity of these people to try and direct their betters. Clearly even a few of these imbeciles had started to feel _some_ thing by now, as they had developed a wonderful tic of frequently looking around themselves nervously, looking for the threat that their atrophied survival instincts were warning them about. Only to be met with Reborn's utterly blank face and Fon's serene smile. _  
_

Although his Sky's anger and frustration - at being talked about as though he wasn't in the room, much less as though he had a say in his own future - was more than apparent on his face. A few more moments of silently listening to the ongoing 'discussion' - on the order in which Harry was to personally check the wards of every single ancestral home to ensure te safety of the more prominent members of society, such as the department heads' that were currently in the room - before Harry clearly had enough and decided to put an end to any delusions.

A sudden shift of the atmosphere in the room - not that these imbeciles noticed right away - his Sky's magic starting to swell, slowly, steadily, in a single surge, uncompromisingly increasing in pressure, taking the very air from the room.

Until there was silence.

Absolute quiet.

Several of the previously so opinionated cretins seemed to have stopped breathing altogether, their utter stillness speaking of everyone being suddenly - and very uncomfortably - reminded just who they had been trying to bend to their will, nervous glances being shot between their clearly furious hero, the suddenly so ominously smiling Asian to his right and the shadowed eyes promising a painful death of the man to his left.

Reborn could feel Harry's absolute determination to not let anyone have power over him again - to not give in to _anyone's_ demands, to always and uncompromisingly remain _free_ \- as he relished in being surrounding by Harry's vast magic. The background feeling of Fon's Flames and the Storm's invisible _menacing_ glee at witnessing these fools being brought to awareness of their own short-comings, certainly didn't hurt Reborn's enjoyment of the situation either.

No one moved.

Finally, it was Shacklebolt who broke the complete _terrified_ silence, addressing the room at large, "If there is nothing else to discuss, today's meeting is concluded." The Minister's general dismissal seemed to break the spell and the immediate, almost mad scramble for the door was beautiful to see.

Harry was still frowning as he watched the mass escape. He clearly wasn't satisfied with having driven people into desperate flight away from himself as repayment for thinking they might have power over him. Reborn approved.

Although, their focus shifted when the Shacklebolt stopped Savage before she had a chance to join in with the rest of the fleeing imbeciles. "Head Auror Savage. A word."

And then - with everyone else gone - the Minister proceeded to beautifully rip into the woman, for the first time that day allowing his displeasure to show through at her transgression, from the willful ignoring of the _Minister's_ _orders_ in particular to the inept handling of confidential information in general.

Shacklebolt ended by stating severely, "It is entirely unacceptable for the rights of a British wizard to be ignored for any reason. There is no acceptable explanation for this breach of trust that the public is putting in this Ministry. It is inexcusable."

There was a brief pause after the Minister's emphatic statement. At this point, Savage looked to be caught somewhere between anger and embarrassment.

Finally, Shacklebolt sent Savage from the room without ever letting her get a word in edgewise, "We will continue this meeting later today at my convenience. As soon as Head Unspeakable Croaker finishes his investigation, inter-department collaborative measures will have to be re-organized. You will be informed as required."

Watching Savage stomp from the room like a reprimanded child, Reborn couldn't help but think that he would really love to witness the continuation of this particular discussion. But based on the vindictive glee he could feel along their bond, his Sky clearly considered his immediate thirst for revenge sated by her sufficiently public humiliation. Reborn simply _adored_ the uncompromisingly vengeful glint in his little Sky's wide, green eyes.

As Harry and the Minister quickly slipped into a debate on various matters regarding the running of the Wizarding World, Fon continued to silently observe.

With only the four of them remaining in the office, the dynamic between the young Sky and the _British Minister of Magic_ had changed again severely, now more of a friendly discussion than a political debate. They were covering a wide range of topics including courses at Hogwarts - _a school?_ -, current policies regarding Dementors - _clearly not a pleasant topic, based on the young Sky's obvious abhorrence_ \- as well as the entertainingly unrelated topic of sewage systems in a place called Knockturn Alley _._

Right now, the young Sky was arguing with the Minister about a set of legislature, which would apparently grant magical orphans the same kinds of rights and protections that were afforded to any other magical child - _and just how backwards was this society that this needed to be discussed at all?_ Just by following the argument between the two wizards it was becoming very clear to Fon, that there was some sort of background story that Harry was doing his best not to mention, all the while drawing his unshakable determination for this particular topic from it. He certainly looked entirely unwilling to back down, which the Minister - going by the man's increasingly resigned expression - seemed to be realizing as well. Reborn's Sky was clearly going to get his way in this.

 _...Reborn's Sky._ It still sounded surreal to Fon. But today's events at least showed why Reborn seemed so absolutely satisfied with the young Sky who had managed to draw in the World's Greatest Hitman.

Not only did he wield Flames of a purity Fon himself had _never_ felt from a Sky before, but they were also clearly matched - if not exceeded - by his magic, and that was without even mentioning Harry's apparent _political_ power in his world. Just watching the young Sky discuss the running of the magical government with its apparent leader - while showing nothing but absolute confidence that he would be heard, that his opinion, his word, his demands would actively be met - certainly confirmed his influence in this world.

But at the same time, Harry's effortless kindness and warmth was not only apparent in his Flames, his Qi _and Reborn's smugness_ , but also in his arguing for the more defenseless members of society, despite the young Sky's own age and clearly having only recently passed into adulthood himself. And true kindheartedness - something Fon encountered ever so very rarely in his position - _that_ was something that Fon could easily commit himself to protect.

All in all, today was making it very clear that Reborn's obvious pride when introducing the Sky as _his,_ had been more than justified.

Although, all of this was just leading to more and more questions that Fon was getting quite impatient to ask. Not that you could tell by looking at him. But still. He was more than looking forward to having an _in-depth discussion_ with Reborn and Harry as soon as their privacy was assured.

Fon had questions indeed.

Reborn could practically see the Storm mentally noting down everything he was observing, making lists of things to be discussed, asked, argued at a later point in time. _Well, Fon has always liked his lists,_ Reborn thought lazily. By now, he was completely certain that the Storm would not be chased away by anything they threw at him here, but rather that at this point the Storm was entirely hooked by the promise of new knowledge and this new world that had been presented to him. There was no way Fon would willingly give up this sort of mystery without investigating even the minutest detail. And Reborn was also aware just how interested Fon was in his Sky, he could practically taste the Storm's interest in Harry.

 _But best continue to ignore that for now_ , Reborn thought. Lest they ended up tearing down the entirety of the British Ministry of Magic in the fight that would follow.

As always most of Reborn's attention was focused on his Sky, who – after fleshing out the details of the orphan protection legislature, which would also lay some groundwork for Harry's charities - was now discussing the reinstatement of the post-war trials with Shacklebolt. The Minister was emphasizing just how important it was to speed up the trials after the delay due to Harry's absence – and Reborn really didn't like what the Minister was implying here, whether the man had intended to do so or not. And of course Harry immediately offered to do his best to be present for as many trials as his schedule allowed.

The Minister was of course all too happy with Harry's offer and responded quickly, "If you prefer, we could arrange the trials to fit your schedule so you can attend every session. How much time will you be able to spend daily in magical surroundings while you are still recovering?"

Knowing better than to promise more than he was actually willing to give, Harry worded his response to the Minister's question carefully, "The healers haven't given me an exact time frame yet as this is still the testing phase."

Reborn approved of the response, but he could also see that his Sky's conscience was already starting to rear its head. He knew how very worried Harry was about the trials being restarted without him, despite also being convinced that most of the claims regarding his supposedly indispensible testimony were complete bullshit. But just the thought of potentially being responsible for innocent people being locked up because Harry wasn't there to testify had his little Sky endlessly worried.

This situation was certainly giving Reborn a very clear idea of how the Wizarding World had been able to regularly bring Harry to willingly bend to their demands.

So, while he had been almost entirely silent throughout today's meeting, this was the point where Reborn felt it necessary to interject with some 'input'. From where he was lazily leaning back in the chair next to his little Sky, he asked, "Is there a list of the individual requests for Harry's testimony? We will be unavailable for the next several days, but we could certainly sort through the claims to identify any obviously false claims and let any cases where Harry's presence isn't actually indispensible proceed immediately."

As he spoke, Reborn could see the Minister gaining a slightly resigned expression, clearly having hoped to quiet any critics' demands by having Harry as the supposedly unbiased party present. But - as before - Shacklebolt still nodded in acceptance without a word to the contrary.

Harry on the other hand looked almost startled. Seeing his Sky's surprise at someone trying to come up with a solution designed to first and foremost suit _Harry's_ needs - lightening his workload all the while still letting him salve his conscience – just affirmed Reborn's utter loathing of the British Wizarding World.

His kindhearted Sky, so very willing to help wherever and whenever he could, but entirely unused to anyone so much as _attempting_ to return the favor.

Reveling in the warmth of almost helpless gratitude pulsing along their bond - even as Harry happily promised Kingsley to let him know which trials he would be attending as soon as he had a chance to look over the claims - Reborn thought grimly to himself that with him in Harry's life, people would suddenly find it much harder to take advantage of his little Sky's kind heart.

Slanting a look over to the Storm sitting at Harry's other side - who was doing nothing to hide the hint of menace curling at the edges of his placid smile and whose position as one of the main enforcers of the Chinese Triads had definitely not been gained due to his lenience or altruism – Reborn thought to himself, that it would turn out to be much harder indeed.

One might even say _impossible_.

* * *

Leaving Kingsley's office, Harry was still basking in the feeling of his Guardian's Sun Flames curling warmly and protectively around him. He would have loved nothing more than to just sit down and revel in this feeling of _safetysuretyprotection_ for a while.

But as always, there were things to get done.

So far, today had been quite eventful, even though Harry still wasn't quite sure whether to actually call today a success or not.

He was still so very embarrassed at having forgotten to mask his magical signature, thus giving the Aurors a way to track him down in the first place. At least nothing really bad had come of today and making a complete fool of Savage - cutting the Head Auror and her little troop of loyal Aurors back to size, even implicating her Aurors in unlawful use of resources - had certainly been satisfying.

The Ministry's desperation to get Harry under their thumb wasn't actually the most troubling thing about today's events – it was rather expected to be honest - but the Order's involvement in this mess was certainly disappointing. Harry wasn't sure whether this was just a few Order Members trying to regain their previous glory - or hobby or whatever - by sticking their nose into his business, or whether there might be something more sinister at play here.

At least not everyone from the Order seemed to be involved, going by Kingsley's apparent exclusion. _Well, that's_ one _at least_ , Harry thought bitterly.

Additionally, Savages' actions had given Harry the chance to draw very clear lines at what he would be willing to tolerate from the Ministry. And what he simply wouldn't. And _for once_ there even seemed to be some actual consequences for their actions if Croaker's involvement and Kingsley's reaction were anything to go by.

Still. Harry sighed. Dealing with the Ministry was always so stressful.

Stepping into the elevator to take them back to the Atrium, Harry felt some of his tension - which he had been carrying around with him ever since his magic's warning nudge right before the Aurors had burst into view in the middle of London, far too well informed about Harry's whereabouts and far too close to his Sun for comfort - release. His sudden relaxation had nothing at all to do with Reborn's arm easily curling around Harry's waist as soon as the doors had fully closed behind them. It hadn't.

And Harry happily ignored how absurdly quick his instincts had decided that Fon was entirely _safe_ , that the Storm's presence was not to be considered an invasion or a threat in any way. He would have time later on to consider what this quick acceptance meant.

Ignoring the blush he could feel on his face, Harry still gratefully leaned into his Sun's side as he considered what to do next.

Harry was not naïve enough to believe that he had seen the last of the Ministry's or the Order's meddling. History had taught him otherwise. They definitely needed to contact Gringott's as soon as possible and his lawyers would need to be updated - about Fon, about the Ministry tracking him down like a criminal and about the Order's interference.

A slight tightening of the arm around his waist had Harry look up at his Sun. Who was watching the doors with slight suspicion, reminding Harry that the two Flame users had no way of knowing about how they operated and were probably suspicious of their return trip taking so long.

Harry easily explained, "The elevators are charmed to take exactly as long as their occupants want them to. They are also warded to high heavens against any sort of monitoring as they quite often spontaneously double as conference rooms. Or as the perfect place to take a quick nap between floors." A brief pause. "Thankfully, magical elevator shafts are not actually limited to a single carriage like the Muggle version or the Ministry would get done even less than they do now." Harry grinned sardonically.

Reborn smirked disdainfully, his irritation from the previous meeting clearly not entirely abated yet, "A convenient wizard invention, how impressive."

Harry couldn't help his grin up at his Sun, as Reborn unknowingly echoed his exact reaction when Barrister Motley had explained the elevators to him some months back. "Isn't it just?"

Thinking that it would actually be convenient to discuss their plans for the rest of the day now, Harry non-verbally threw out a privacy charm - despite the supposed warding.

When he looked up both Reborn and Fon were watching him. It brought Harry up short. Had they just read his body language or had they actually been able to feel him cast the spell? Unless you had Magick Sight, actually feeling someone cast magic was considered to only be possible if you were incredibly attuned to the other person. It wouldn't be too unlikely for Reborn to be able to detect and recognize his magic by now, but that couldn't possibly apply to Fon as well.

 _Could it_?

Harry forced himself to shake off the thought of what that might mean and instead focused on the two Flame users.

Unnecessarily he clarified, "A privacy ward."

Neither of the men shifted their gaze away from him, though Fon inclined his head slightly. It was reassuring to see that the man actually was capable of reacting with facial expressions. _Although clearly only if he deigns to_ , Harry thought with a grin.

While Fon's introduction to the Wizarding World had been inevitable if he was truly going to stick around them, dragging the Storm right away into the political intricacies of the Magical World certainly hadn't been the best way to go about it.

So, considering that it would only be fair to keep him in the loop now that they had the chance to do so, Harry suggested from where he was happily leaning against his Sun's side, "We should probably stop by my lawyers' office first to keep them updated."

Reborn nodded agreeably where he was resting his chin against Harry's temple. Fon showed no actual reaction to Harry's proposal, but continued to watch them intently.

Harry was sure that Fon was expecting a comprehensive explanation as soon as they managed to get somewhere quiet. Which was more than fair, considering the Storm's nonchalant acceptance of everything they had thrown at him in the span of two days and his stoic support through rather volatile situations. One truly had to admire the man's poker face in the face of today's insanity.

Harry continued. "After that we can go somewhere quiet for a discussion," - Fon deigned to give another nod of agreement at this – "and I would like to mask my magical signature as soon as possible. It requires quite a bit of concentration to effectively mask my magic in its entirety but that's about it."

And wasn't it just doubly embarrassing to admit that Harry could have masked his magic at any point before, if only _he had actually remembered to do so_.

Well, with today's experience he certainly wouldn't ever be forgetting about it again, that much was for certain. If anything Harry could already see this joining the list of his various neuroses. Along with his need to check the door of any room he was in regularly to make sure he hadn't been locked in – thank you Dursleys -, his need of watching anyone he met obsessively whether they had a tendency of hourly drinks from a private bottle to make sure they weren't polyjuiced – thank you Moody and Crouch - and his need to religiously check his mental defenses for any sort of tampering throughout the day – thank you Dumbledore, thank you Snape and thank you fucking Voldemort.

Merlin, did he live an interesting life or what?

* * *

When the elevator finally came to a halt at the Atrium Reborn stepped out first, then Harry with Fon following sedately behind.

They were met with countless stares from the wizarding masses that had gathered in the Ministry's arrival hall. Clearly word of the Savior's appearance at the Ministry had gotten around, going by the obvious anticipation that permeated the room. The immediate gawking was also a big hint. _Cue the sarcasm_.

Harry had warned Reborn and Fon in the elevator to expect the Atrium to be packed with gossip mongers hoping to get another glimpse of the Harry Potter Show. Probably best to give the two Flame users a heads up, lest a good portion of Ministry workers ended up dead or maimed by the end of today if they started clamoring for his attention.

Harry knew that if he made eye contact with even a single person here, that person would feel encouraged to voice his oh-so-relevant thoughts and it would quickly turn into a mob of people trying to make themselves heard. Then he would have to ask Fawkes to take them away and Harry had no intention of looking like he was avoiding something. No. They were going to leave from the exact spot they had arrived at. See if they didn't! Hnpf.

Smoothly starting across the hall - Reborn and Fon easily falling into their positions at his side - Harry let his magic convey utter calm, in direct contrast to the irritation he had radiated earlier at his arrival. Considering that the papers would be printing about his meeting with the Head Auror and the Minister himself, Wizarding Britain would be all too happy to draw their entirely uninformed conclusions.

For once, the Wizarding World's obsession with gossip would actually suit Harry's needs.

While Harry didn't necessarily _need_ the support of the wizarding public, it certainly made his life easier. Harry's current popularity gave him a lot of leverage in the Ministry, but public opinion could all too easily be swayed, the sheeple so happily feeling appalled, so very eager to watch an idol's fall from grace.

And Harry's only real weak spot in the political arena was his age. While his wealth, his political power and his magical prowess would never be put into question, Harry knew that today's events were a perfect chance to impress on the wizarding public that - despite his age - not only was he considered an equal party when meeting the Minister and various department heads but also that he got exactly what he wanted from the Ministry.

Having actively escalated the conflict with the DMLE, anything reaffirming his status in the eyes of the sheeple could only help him in the future. So, while he would love to avoid the masses, today Harry was going to give them their spectacle.

And then, he spotted Hestia Jones not so inconspicuously lingering next to the wand checking counter. She couldn't possibly be stupid enough to actually confront him in public, could she? To give him a chance to air his grievances with the Order directly in front of the Wizarding World's worst gossips? _Though, wouldn't that be mightily gracious of her_ , Harry thought vengefully.

Who was Harry to deny Jones her very own public smackdown. That still didn't mean he was going to make it easy for her. Oh no.

Calmly continuing on his path across the Atrium towards the apparition areas, Harry couldn't help but feel vindictively amused at her obvious befuddlement when he made no move to stop by for another chat despite clearly having spotted her.

Then she stumbled after them, "Harry!"

The wizard who had been standing next to her was following her across the hall. His scowl looked somewhat familiar, though Harry couldn't actually place him.

"Harry! Harry, wait up!" At this point, Jones had gathered quite a bit attention as well, although not a single Ministry worker deigned to actually step aside to let her through, Harry's obvious dismissal of her doing Jones' reputation no favors. "Harry Potter!"

At the last shout, Harry came to a stop and – back to his affable public persona – affected a slightly surprised expression.

"Jones." He greeted pleasantly. Reborn and Fon turned with him and were watching her predatorily, clearly unused to having their prey actually run after them.

Harry's sudden politeness seemed to throw Jones for a loop, as she stopped to gape at him for a moment. Seriously. People should really get used to the fact that Harry rarely behaved according to their expectations of him.

He continued innocently, "Was there something other than what was discussed with Minister Shacklebolt just now?"

At her continued floundering, Reborn apparently decided to move things along. Jones actually flinched visibly, when he turned the entirety of his focus on her.

Fon's placid smile was practically oozing derision at this point.

"Ah. Harry. Yes." She was trying to collect herself, clearly looking for a way to get a handle on the conversation. Then she seemingly remembered her companion. "Ah, this is Edward Smith."

Harry gave a nod in the wizard's direction, only to receive a scowl in return. The resemblance to Zacharias Smith was suddenly very obvious, now that Harry knew what to look for. And the scowl aimed at Harry was nearly identical to the one Smith the Younger had been fond of giving him ever since fifth year. What joy.

Jones had clearly expected Harry to react in some way, but when he did not actually respond verbally, she continued. "Edward joined the Order just recently. He's been a great help with our efforts."

Again with the 'efforts'. What bloody _efforts_? Although going by today's events, those 'efforts' clearly included messing with Harry's privacy. And that was plainly unacceptable.

Still, Harry asked calmly. "Oh? So the Order is recruiting again? Even after the war?"

"Well, yes, of course. It never hurts to keep prepared, you know. It is important to stay wary for when the dark forces try to rise again eventually. We clearly need to bolster our numbers, gather as many decent wizards as possible under the banner of the light." Jones stated fervently. "The Order will continue to defend the light!" Her zeal was disturbing.

Harry kept his expression neutral as he inquired calmly, "Hm. Anyone I know?"

Jones responded patronizingly, "Oh, Harry. You know I can't discuss those details out in the open like that." She actually reached out, clearly intending to condescendingly pat his arm. His right arm. Where Fon was standing, smiling placidly, but still somehow exuding derision.

A slight shift from the Storm had Jones flinching backwards before she even came close to finishing the motion. Then she stared in complete befuddlement, apparently baffled by her own reaction to the serenely smiling Asian.

 _Well, at least there is some sort entertainment to be had_ , Harry thought cheerfully.

Awkward silence ensued, as Jones just continued to stare at Fon, caught in his gaze and apparently unable to look away.

Which gave the other Order member a chance to put his foot in. Smith's anger was clear to see and his frown was deepening by the minute. Finally, he burst out while barely containing his temper, "Just send your bodyguards away, Potter! We will escort you to headquarters and the Order will provide your protection from now on."

 _Huh, Smith the Older is clearly just as personable as his younger relative_ , Harry thought drolly. Although, even Harry didn't expect the wizard to then actually wave his hand at the two Flame users, pompously stating, "You can leave now."

A pause.

Reborn didn't react beyond raising an eyebrow at the dismissal by a stranger and Fon's serene smile only gained an edge of actual amusement. And Harry just couldn't help himself anymore. He laughed.

Out loud.

There was actual mirth in his voice when he said clearly for all to hear. "While I thank you for the offer of protection against those supposedly 'rising dark forces' even despite there being no evidence of any such movement whatsoever, I will give you the same answer that I gave the DMLE earlier today: Your offer comes far too late."

Then, Harry let the hilarity in his voice dissipate, gravity taking its place. Lowering his voice slightly, so only the few eavesdroppers standing directly around them would actually understand him - so his words would spread from just a small group of people, like any other rumor - he continued, "Just weeks ago, the Order had the audacity to remove me from St. Mungo's against healers' orders, brought me to the Muggle World and then left me without any sort of protection while barely conscious. My healers are still struggling to counteract the detrimental effects that the Order's actions had on my health. Your offer of protection at this point is laughable and almost insulting."

Harry paused to take in the reactions around him.

Jones and Smith - and every single eavesdropper - looked absolutely gobsmacked at his words.

Having made his point, Harry continued with a normal tone of voice, which - in the complete silence of people hoping to listen in - almost echoed through the Atrium, "The war has been over for several months now and I have long seen to my own protection. Any offers of protection at this point, are unnecessary, as any threats that I myself am unable to take care of, will easily be disposed of by either of my 'bodyguards'."

Silence.

Then a collective swiveling of heads, as the gawking people in the hall suddenly regarded both Reborn and Fon in an entirely new light. If the Savior, The-Man-Who-Conquered, their _hero_ claimed these two men to be just as - if not more - powerful than himself… Quite a few people actually took a step back to get a little further away.

Harry took a brief look around, entirely satisfied. It was certainly nice of Jones to give him a chance to rehash this particular part of today's confrontation in public. Making a joke out of the Order's fear mongering about supposed 'rising dark forces', indirect criticism for the DMLE – for not protecting their hero – as well as once and for all clarifying Reborn's and Fon's positions at his side.

And most importantly, his statement would ensure that no one would ever so much as _consider_ that either Fon or Reborn could possibly be non-magical. It was unfathomable to any wizard that a _Muggle_ could _possibly_ defeat a magic user.

Job done, Harry turned on his heel, flanked by Reborn and Fon as they made the final few steps towards the very spot they had arrived in. Raising his hand as Fawkes appeared in front of them in a spectacular flash of phoenix fire, Harry took a last look around the hall, he felt immensely satisfied with the stupefied looks all around.

And as Fawkes' fire enveloped them, Harry couldn't help but gleefully think that his lawyers were going to have fun 'taking care' of anyone who had been even remotely involved in today's events.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, this chapter is kind of weird. This was originally supposed to be the end of the last chapter, so now there isn't much progress, but I still needed these segments for the build-up to the next chapters. It also feels somewhat chaotic to me… Well, I had to post it at some point, so there.

I'm really sorry it took me so long to update. I've been insanely busy and then I didn't have internet at home for almost three months. RL, what can you do? The next update will definitely be quicker though, because I've already written a lot of it!

As always, thanks to all the people who commented, made suggestions or corrected typos, language, etc. Help with my English is always welcome, same for any other languages I try to incorporate!

Chapter 17 review responses:

Thanks so much for all your reviews! 245 reviews for the last chapter (°o°) You guys are just awesome and your comments make my day. They also keep me hooked on writing :)

To answer the questions that were asked a lot: No comments on Harry's future Guardians (but it will become clear soon whether Fon will be a Guardian) or Harry's role in the Arcobaleno curse; I'm planning to completely integrate the HP and KHR 'verses in this story, so all characters should show up at some point, although I won't even try to guess how long it'll take me to get there.

To **zzzjem** : Thanks so much for your extensive review! …to be honest, I haven't even really gotten to the actual plot yet XD I never planned for this to be quite so slowplaced but the chapters just keep running away with me :) You could maybe say this is the first arc of the actual story?

To **Elfin69** : Thanks for your review! Nice idea about the Hunters :) Harry's lawsuits are actually going to play a big role soon. So, well spotted!

To **Ebona Nite** & **Electricprincess889** : Thanks for your reviews! Ron and Hermione are going to show up soon :)

To **Kitsune95** & **Lucky Black Moon** : Thanks so much for reviewing! I will definitely get back to explaining how Flames and magic work in this 'verse in more detail soon. As the title suggests, Igneomancy will play a big part (once I finally get to the actual plot…). There will also be some training for Harry coming up soon :)

To **d** & **CloudZzFluffyBedsOfWhite** : Thanks for your reviews! The actions of the Order will come up again soon and there will definitely be consequences. And yes, Harry is Head of the Houses Potter and Black.


	21. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Don't own.

Continues immediately after chapter 18.

* * *

 _End of Chapter 18:_

 _Harry took a brief look around, entirely satisfied. It was certainly nice of Jones to give him a chance to rehash this particular part of today's confrontation in public. Making a joke out of the Order's fear mongering about supposed 'rising dark forces', indirect criticism for the DMLE – for not protecting their hero – as well as once and for all clarifying Reborn's and Fon's positions at his side._

 _And most importantly, his statement would ensure that no one would ever so much as consider that either Fon or Reborn could possibly be non-magical. It was unfathomable to any wizard that a Muggle could possibly defeat a magic user._

 _Job done, Harry turned on his heel, flanked by Reborn and Fon as they made the final few steps towards the very spot they had arrived in. Raising his hand as Fawkes appeared in front of them in a spectacular flash of phoenix fire, Harry took a last look around the hall, he felt immensely satisfied with the stupefied looks all around._

 _And as Fawkes' fire enveloped them, Harry couldn't help but gleefully think that his lawyers were going to have fun 'taking care' of anyone who had been even remotely involved in today's events._

* * *

Chapter 19

The foyer of Motley's firm was empty when they arrived in a flash of phoenix fire.

Well, empty except for Mrs. Lynton sitting primly behind her desk between the offices of Motley and Wellington, the other partner of the firm.

Harry gave Fon a moment to take in their surroundings, but smiled at her in greeting across the foyer. She cheerfully waved back at him.

Mrs. Adelaide 'Della' Lynton was the secretary of Motley & Wellington and she had been running her bosses' lives for decades now. But despite her age, she had definitely kept her spirit young, her grey hair always in a loose elegant bun, wearing dark traditional witches' clothing, but always in combination with numerous colorful accessories made by her many grandchildren. Her extended family was also her absolute favorite topic to talk about, usually over homemade cookies and a nice cup of tea while they waited for this or that document to come through or for one of his lawyers to arrive.

She also seemed to know just about every single person in a secretarial position throughout the Alleys, the Ministry and possibly the entirety of Wizarding Britain. Whenever Motley needed something, there always seemed to be 'that one nice lad, who was in charge of that and who coincidentally was also the grandson of that gentleman her cousin had gone to school with and that lad surely wouldn't mind giving Motley's request preference and she was just going to quickly step out and bring it over personally'.

She was truly invaluable for getting things done quickly. And Merlin help anyone, who tried to stand in her way. Her efficiency was not to be compromised by others' incompetence.

Harry had only had the pleasure of seeing her patience be tested once, when she had come with him to the Ministry to pick up some documents. She had apparently felt personally offended by the gall of the Ministry clerks trying to claim that Harry didn't actually have the authority to request those files. Her benevolent, grandmotherly smile had suddenly grown teeth and she had brought both clerks almost to tears while explaining ineptitude to them in very small words. Sure enough, they had left with those documents in hand and to the sound of the clerks being verbally ripped apart by their supervisor, an older woman who clearly knew Mrs. Lynton quite well.

Harry still thought fondly of that particular day. And had pledged to never get on her bad side. His self-preservation instincts were very much intact, _thank you very much_. Thankfully, Mrs. Lynton seemed to have decided early on to take Harry under her wing.

As he stepped up to her desk with Reborn and Fon at his side, she greeted them cheerfully. "Lord Potter, how nice to see you again. How have you been?"

Harry already felt his mood lifting at her cheer, "Mrs. Lynton, it is good to see you again. I'm doing quite well, thank you. How was your trip to Venice and your grandson's bonding ceremony?"

She beamed at him, "Oh, how nice of you to ask. It was magnificent. The ceremony was stunning and the festivities afterwards were so very marvelous."

And after exchanging a few more bits of small talk, she quickly got back to business, "Your timing is impeccable, Lord Potter. Barrister Motley just had another meeting with the Clarke siblings this morning and I was to contact you in order to set up another appointment, which we could take care of right now if you have the time. Barrister Motley is on his break currently but he should be back in a few minutes and I will contact Clarke Solicitors momentarily. Would you mind awfully waiting a moment for everyone to gather here?"

"That would be no problem at all. Thank you, Mrs. Lynton." Harry smiled at her, already considering whether he could make use of the time until the meeting.

He had been feeling incredibly uncomfortable ever since being made aware that his magical signature wasn't currently masked. It bothered him endlessly to be without that additional shield, that protection, even more so after the Ministry using it to track him down.

So, any chance of correcting that oversight was more than welcome and if they had to wait for his lawyers anyways...

Masking one's magic didn't actually require anything beyond focus, excellent magical control and the knowledge how to cast the required ward. All the more embarrassing to admit that he could have taken care of this at any point. _If only he had remembered to do so._

Well, a lesson learned and all that.

Still, this would be the perfect chance before they had to step out into the Wizarding World again, to make sure that there would be no chance of anyone tracking him again and possibly even following them back to their apartment based on his magical signature. All the better, if he could do it now in one of Motley's heavily warded meeting rooms, so anyone who might still be tracking him would lose sight of him immediately.

A quick glance over at Reborn, before he turned back to Mrs. Lynton, "Would it be possible for me to make use of one of the meeting rooms until everyone gets here? It won't take long."

"Yes, of course. Just go on through to that room on the left. There is no one scheduled to use it until later today." She said, pointing at a door on the far side of the foyer.

Harry thanked her, which she waved him off with a smile, and by the time they reached the other side of the foyer she was already in the process of penning a note - presumably to inform Motley and the Clarkes of Harry's presence here.

Despite Harry actually having been half a step ahead of Reborn and Fon the entire way across the foyer, his Sun somehow still managed to step through the door ahead of him. At Harry's exasperated – _not_ fond, no not fond _at all_ – huff, he just threw a smug smirk over his shoulder.

"What's the hold up, beautiful?"

Harry's face immediately lit up with a blush. He could feel his cheeks glowing red at being called by one of Reborn's preferred names outside of their home.

The obvious amusement of the Storm - who was still holding the door open for him, clearly having no intention of entering before Harry – at their interaction didn't help his blush at all.

 _Insufferable, the both of them_ , he huffed internally but made his way into the room the small meeting room.

Refusing to meet his Sun's satisfied grin – much less acknowledge the affection he could feel along their bond - or remark on the amusement radiating from Fon, Harry picked one of the chairs further away from the door and settled at the oval meeting table without further comment.

At least there were no further teasing comments on the blush he was still sporting, as Fon leaned against the wall across from where Reborn was propped against the table. They had positioned themselves right between Harry and the door with an unimpeded view of both, while covering each other's blind spots perfectly.

Really, at some point that overprotectiveness was going to start annoying Harry something awful.

…

Although, probably not until he stopped feeling all warm and fuzzy inside whenever his Sun did something like this. Making Harry and his safety unapologetically, uncompromisingly his first priority. Being unquestionably put first was still an utterly new concept for Harry.

Well, he could accept his Sun's overgrown overprotectiveness, as long as he didn't complain when Harry started returning that favor at every opportunity. _We'll be having words otherwise_ , Harry thought and relaxed back in his seat, closing his eyes, turning his focus inward, slowly letting his mind settle into his magic.

Usually when casting this ward, he struggled endlessly with trying to turn his entire focus inwards, having to entirely let go of his outside awareness, despite knowing of the threats that constantly, continuously, _relentlessly_ loomed over his shoulder. But this time - with his Sun just a few feet away from him, quietly conversing with Fon - Harry simply had no doubts regarding his safety and it was so very _easy_ to just, let go.

With a silent breath, Harry let his outside awareness fade away, focusing inwards, centering himself, gathering his magic - even the smallest amount from around himself - and drawing it into himself, into his core. All while wrapped in a warm cocoon of Flames, Sky and Sun Flames intertwining through the bond, reassuring, pulsing with the feeling of _safetywarmthhomeprotection_.

Focused inwards, Harry was entirely unaware of the serene smile on his face and of the peaceful sigh he let out.

But the two Flame users certainly noticed.

Fon could practically see Reborn's smugness reaching new heights.

And Fon refused to react to the Sky's absolute assuredness of his safety in his Sun's presence. He wouldn't. Not on pain of death.

He was quite disinterested in hearing Reborn actually verbalize his smugness. Ever since smugly introducing Harry as _his Sky_ , the Sun had been doing enough bragging without words, _thank you very much_. This Sky hadn't just harmonized with one of the strongest Flame users in existence – pulled him in and happily kept him there – but apparently also measured up to Reborn's ridiculously high standards in everything else.

A part of his mind - the small, hidden part of him that for years had been yearning for that bond, surreptitiously searching for Harmony - vibrated with excitement, because Fon's presence clearly didn't interfere with the young Sky's feeling of safety _at all_. Despite only having met _days_ ago. Fon couldn't remember the last time a Sky had actually _relaxed_ in his presence.

And - silently - Fon could admit that this Sky was _utterly fascinating_ , would have been even if Fon hadn't been able to literally _breathe in_ the purity of his Qi and Flames and Magic.

It was the first time in _years_ that Fon actually felt any sort of interest in a particular Sky.

The Triads kept their unbonded Skies close, protected, _pampered_ , as everyone tried to curry their favor, minions falling over themselves, trying to impress. Just in case that Sky ever came into a position of real power. The powerful Branches encouraged this behavior, because it kept the Sky Flame users in the smaller Branches spoilt and soft, making any sort of effective rebellion on that front unlikely. And keeping the Skies tucked away also let the leaders unobtrusively handpick any Guardian potentials, who then always _coincidentally_ turned out to be uncharacteristically loyal to existing power structures.

Admittedly, this system had granted a surprising amount of order and peace in the Triads - and Fon could generally care less about these sorts of power games – but it had also resulted in entire generations of utterly _ruined_ Skies.

Fon wouldn't even so much as consider binding himself to a single one of them.

Well, the Mafia's route wasn't any better. In Italy it had become common to kill off any Sky your Famiglia failed to bind to itself - just to make sure that they didn't bolster any rival Famiglias - which had led to a dramatic drop off in the overall number of Skies in Italy.

Not an optimal approach either, that was for sure.

So, in Fon's experience, Skies were either spoilt – their self-importance laughably overinflated – or meek – kept _small_ by whoever got their hands on them first – or fury personified – when their Guardians' loyalty turned out to be to someone else first and the pain of betrayal was unbearable and _inescapable_.

It was the same problem everywhere in the criminal underworld. Everyone wanted Harmony - for the bond, for the power, for the prestige - but anyone in power wanted to keep potential opposition down, which was most likely to come from strong Skies with a strong group of Guardians. So, across the world of organized crime Skies were either killed off, kept weak or kept loyal.

It was a cutthroat world. And unbonded, unprotected Skies tended to get the worst of it. The few Skies that were decently strong and actually managed to survive with their health and sanity intact were rarely able to keep more than even the smallest fraction of any positive personality aspects they might have originally carried with them.

All the more ludicrous for Reborn to actually have found a Sky _like this._

A Sky without a Famiglia - without ties or obligations, without someone pulling his and his Guardians' strings - but with the strength to back it up. A Sky with power of his own and - going by what Fon had witnessed so far - with determination of steel. A Sky with true compassion - who did not wish for power, reputation, wealth or social standing – and with a kind heart, whose main interest was _freedom_.

Freedom for himself and for his Guardians, to spread as they pleased but with a center, a _home_ to return to.

A _true_ Sky.

The sort you read about and dreamt about but that wasn't actually supposed to _exist_ _in_ _reality_. A nice dream, nothing more.

And now, Reborn had actually found it.

Well, if there was anyone who would manage to find himself a young, pure, untainted, _civilian_ Sky, it would be Reborn. If only so the Sun could claim to have the very best. Always.

One look over at the man – Reborn's face still radiating lazy satisfaction - and Fon was almost tempted to roll his eyes. Regrettably, he had a reputation to uphold.

The hitman really was insufferable sometimes.

Entirely focused on his magic - which was happily humming in his core, tendrils coiling through his body - Harry noticed nothing of the outside world.

Once his magic entirely settled within him, casting the ward came almost automatically.

As soon as he could feel the command of the ward spread through his core - his very self – he smoothly let go of his absolute restraint on his magic again. And it elatedly took back the freedom it always so enjoyed, immediately spreading outwards again, never straying far, just slightly tinting his world and increasing his awareness as it always did.

But even as Harry's awareness returned to the outside world, he could feel his magic spreading further. Spreading, expanding. Joyfully following his Flames' path along the bond to his Sun.

Until it covered Ren in its cloak as well, feeling like it belonged right there, winding around his Sun in joyful tendrils, as though it had been doing it all along.

Harry could practically see some of the tension that had gathered in Ren's frame leak out of his posture again, as his magic practically hummed in delight, nudging at Harry's awareness, _See? See?_

Which, _what_?

Before Harry could consider what in the Merlin's name his magic was doing, there was a knock on the door, Mrs. Lynton letting them know that everyone else had arrived and was waiting for them.

Well, this was definitely something to discuss later. Well, he doubted that Reborn would be averse to testing anything involving his magic, considering how utterly _fascinated_ he seemed every time Harry let his magic out to intertwine with their Flames.

And, while they were at it, maybe Harry could also test his Flames some more. That at least, was something to look forward to for later.

His eagerness to use his Flames again had nothing to do with last time he had tried, how it had felt to have his Flames intertwine with Reborn's. Or how, Harry had pretty much been curled up in his Sun's lap by the end of it. Really, it _didn't_.

Keeping step with Harry across the foyer, Reborn did nothing to suppress his lecherous grin at the renewed blush on his Sky's cheeks. Even though he had no idea what exactly had brought it on this time, Harry doing his best not to actually look at him as he tried to suppress the blush, sure made it seem like he was somehow to blame.

And Reborn was gladly taking credit for that delectable look. He did so adore that blush.

Although, by the time they reached Motley's office the redness of his Sky's cheeks was barely noticeable, which was just fine with Reborn. No one else should be allowed to see his little Sky's adorable reactions.

Those were his and his alone.

Cue the maniacal, evil laughter.

While Reborn pondered his Sky's adorableness, Harry was introducing Fon to his lawyers, which included Motley, the female Clarke and her brother Anthony.

The latter was definitely the least likable of the three Clarkes, far too pompous for Reborn or Harry's taste. But he was also incredibly good at his job - weeding out even the slightest pitfalls in legal documents, going through every paragraph, sentence, turn of phrase with a fine-toothed comb and with a sixth sense for anything fishy even if not actually apparent in the phrasing itself - and he was also entirely focused on keeping Harry and his interests protected. Which was the only reason that Reborn hadn't shredded the man during their first meeting for daring to actually question him and his reasons for being there.

And also, the fact that the man had no sense of humor or sarcasm whatsoever, making it far too easy to have fun at his expense.

Reborn had driven his Sky almost to tears with silent laughter by purposely misunderstanding every single question the man had asked him. Anthony had given up in exasperation after trying to rephrase the third question for the seventh time.

Fon was currently getting the exact same treatment, being asked thinly veiled, suspicious questions about his intentions.

The Storm was clearly just as irked about being questioned by a stranger, but decided to go a different route. Namely, taking the man's questions absolutely literal and he was currently in the process of making up an absolutely bullshit story about his personal _details_ with infinite diligence. He started by inventing a date of birth – exact, down to the second and for several calendars, including the Western, the Chinese and the Japanese calendars -, then expounded on the geographic importance of his fictional birth place, before explaining the historic value of the hospital he was supposedly born in and was now in the process of giving the family history of the midwife who had apparently been involved in his delivery.

Throughout, he was smiling serenely, practically oozing politeness and cordial amiability, daring anyone to call him on his bullshit.

At Fon's side, Harry was trying unsuccessfully trying to cover his wheezing laughter by faking a coughing fit.

And Anthony Clarke looked on in confusion, clearly no idea what to make of the Chinese man at all.

Motley put an end to the spectacle - sadly before Fon could finish his detailed story about how the midwife's childhood pet had been her inspiration to go into medicine - but made no efforts to hide the amusement in his eyes as he did so.

Then, they finally got down to business, which immediately went into an entirely different direction from what they had originally come here for, because the lawyers had finally completed the preparations for legalizing Harry's charity just this morning.

And Reborn knew how anxiously Harry had been looking forward to any progress on that front. The thought of the children orphaned by the war - who had lost not only their families but also their homes and any sort of legal protection – practically haunted his Sky.

While Reborn could more than get behind any effort to protect children - young children, true innocents, those who never had to fight for their own life, who hadn't yet learned that the world even _had_ harsher sides, who had never so much as gone a day without a full meal in their stomachs, guileless, wide-eyed, _innocent_ children - he also didn't struggle with the thought that these children might have a slightly harsher life than necessary for another week or so.

Because they _would_ be saved - maybe a little more weary than before, a little wiser to the harshness of life - which was more than most children in their situation could say. But, soon they would be rescued, guarded, shielded, protected, sheltered again. His Sky would see to it. And that was all that Reborn thought should matter.

But as always Harry's kindness was truly a warmth all of its own.

And so, Reborn was entirely unsurprised when Harry promptly forgot about their original reason for coming here and instead happily focused on his lawyers' progress.

Anthony Clarke was currently explaining, "We now have most of the legalities in order for the charity itself. We were trying to find some sort of precedent in Wizarding Britain and we went back all the way to the founding of the Magick Council, but there simply is nothing of the sort."

Here, Laura Clarke continued, "Instead we are going to base the entire case on your intention to build orphanages and we will use Hogwarts itself as a precedent. The founders actually got a lot of private support, monetary and otherwise, that allowed them to finish Hogwarts at all in their own lifetime. Going this route will also make it almost impossible for anyone to go against your charity due to the similarities, a place to provide homes and schooling for children the same way Hogwarts was originally intended." She opened a heavy roll of parchment with teeny-tiny writing and pushed it towards them, as though that would illustrate her point.

Harry glanced at the scroll without attempting to read it, but was nodding enthusiastically, always happy to hear his only childhood home mentioned in a good light and not in reference to any occurrences of his own school drama or the Final Battle.

Anthony Clarke took over again. "Lewis has also arranged interviews with the two candidates that you picked for the running of the charity itself. Both of them will be available two days from now as you requested. At this point neither of them has any idea that you are involved, but they have been warned that Lewis will be joined by other parties during the interview."

During one of their previous meetings, Lewis Clarke had proposed that he take over the initial setup of the charity until Harry could appoint someone to do so full time once the charity was legally sound. There had been a pulse of amusement along their bond from his Sky, before Harry had proceeded to give his lawyers quite the fight on that front and he had only grudgingly given in.

Reborn had been endlessly entertained, because he knew that Harry was actually quite happy with the offer. They had even discussed this beforehand when his Sky had worriedly mentioned to him that he had no idea where to even start with setting up a charity. They had spent many a conversation discussing everything that would need to be organized even after the legalities were sorted, like getting facilities built, staffed and equipped. Not to even mention figuring out a way to get any orphans assigned to the charity's care in the first place.

Additionally, Harry had resignedly admitted that if he were to actually arrange these things himself, people would quickly get wind of the fact that Harry Potter, _the Savior_ was holding job interviews and he would be buried in claims from people who just wanted a chance to talk to The-Man-Who-Conquered and who had no actual interest in or qualifications for the job. And the Ministry would certainly soon find a way to stick their noses into his business as well.

So, he had let himself be "convinced" into letting someone else take care of the initial setup and thereby gotten exactly what he wanted in the first place.

Harry - the troll - had only made his lawyers argue their case to make sure that they were truly behind the idea. And for the sake of it.

Reborn simply adored his Sky's propensity to stir things up.

* * *

Harry confirmed to himself that he would _never ever_ so much as consider going into law.

His enthusiasm at his lawyers' offer of explaining the charity's legal setup had quickly dwindled once they had started explaining the finer details of the documents that were to be submitted to the Ministry. Listening to his lawyers monologuing about how this or that paragraph was supported by this or that regulation of this or that Ministry Department was _mind-numbing_.

But they were clearly doing their best to skip any not so essential sections of the documents, which was the only reason Harry was still even trying to listen to them. Although, he couldn't help letting his mind drift slightly from time to time. Fon hadn't moved so much as a millimeter for quite some time now and at this point Harry was getting suspicious that the Storm might actually be meditating to escape the pain of having to listen to Harry's lawyers drone on.

As usual, it was Reborn who was avidly listening to Harry's lawyers explaining the more intricate details of the documents.

Harry had realized during their first meeting at Motley's office after their bonding that Reborn could more than keep up with his lawyers. And whenever Harry needed clarification, his Sun easily filtered out the lawyer speak and translated everything they had said into plain English.

Reborn could actually get quite nitpicky about certain ways to phrase things that he thought might come back to bite them later on, even arguing for the lawyers to change, remove or add paragraphs. Well, his Sun tended to consider the more brutal eventualities that might come to pass in any given situation, possibly brought about by himself.

 _And so far, they haven't won a single argument against Ren either_ , Harry thought cheerfully.

They had been at it for quite some time now but they were finally drawing to a close. After a few more minutes, they finished with an air of accomplishment and there was a brief quiet in the office as Laura and Anthony Clarke gathered and neatly stacked the various papers scattered over the table.

Now, the documents could _finally_ be submitted to the Ministry.

Which reminded Harry of his original reason for coming to see Motley. Well, no time like the present.

Quickly glancing between Reborn and Fon, he turned back to his lawyers. Despite having just spent a grueling three hours of legal discussion, all three of them immediately honed in on his serious expression, their eyes gaining a certain gleam, almost as though they could already smell the blood in the water.

Harry had learned early on that his lawyers could be quite bloodthirsty and found an absurd amount of satisfaction in tearing people apart in entirely legal but excruciatingly painful ways.

And Harry took no little amount of glee in quickly bringing them up to speed. They were immediately taking notes and asking questions about specifics. Especially Laura Clarke seemed to be chomping at the bit to bury all involved parties in law suits.

But before she could open her mouth, Motley claimed the Department of Mysteries as his. The barrister apparently had contacts among the Unspeakables and thus could easily follow the fallout. He calmly assured Harry that just because there _seemed_ to be some sort of investigation on the side of the Unspeakables, there was no reason not to make sure that there would be actual, 'cautionary' consequences to deter anyone else from trying something similar. The threat was clear, but Motley's peaceful, grandfatherly smile never so much as wavered on his face.

Reborn wasn't even trying to hide his bloodthirsty appreciation and Fon was looking on in definite approval.

Satisfied, Harry gave his lawyers the absolute go-ahead to get compensation for his 'distress' at having been sought after like a common criminal.

And as Harry, Reborn and Fon left for the Alleys, the Clarke siblings were still locked in an intense staring match, silently fighting over who got to go after the Order and who got to go after the DMLE.

Harry really should send a thank you note to Luna at some point for originally pointing him in Motley's direction.

* * *

 **A/N:** So... I don't know what happened! This was supposed to only be the _beginning_ of the next chapter, a short scene about Harry updating his lawyers. And then it just kept growing and growing and growing! I almost just added this to the ever-growing deleted scenes, but I quite like how their dynamic develops in this. So, I decided to post it but cut it off here, because this would have turned into an absolute monster of a chapter otherwise and then you might not have gotten another update for months ('cause you never know with RL)... I hope the quick update makes up for the chapter size though :)

On a different note, it has been pointed out to me that I haven't actually mentioned Reborn wearing his fedora once in this story. I went back and realized that it's completely true. In the beginning I purposely didn't have him wear it yet because I had a scene in mind how he would get it. But then… I somehow entirely forgot to write that scene (^_^;)

So, I'll let you _my lovely lovely readers_ decide: Should Reborn only get his trademark fedora now or has he been wearing it all along? I can also do a flashback how he got it, either during Igneous or before meeting Harry? Just let me know and I'll do my best :)

Chapter 18 review responses:

Thanks so much for all your reviews! You are just wonderful and your comments keep me motivated and hooked on writing! At this point it should be becoming pretty clear what is going to happen with Reborn, Harry and Fon but I won't keep you in suspense much longer :)

As always I won't comment on how the other Arcobaleno, the curse or Kawahira will play a role in this fic (though there will be a big KHR plot revelation soon) and Hermione and Ron should show up sometime within the next few chapters (maybe in the next 2 or 3 chapters?).

To **gemava** : Thanks for reviewing! Fon already has Lichi and he will appear soon (probably sometime in the next chapter) but so far he has been hiding on Fon's person.

To **Seere Klein** : Thanks for your review! I think their ages were mentioned once or twice in the story :) Harry is eighteen and Reborn twenty-seven.


	22. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Lots and lots of introspection in this chapter.

Continues immediately after Chapter 19.

* * *

 _End of Chapter 19:_

 _And Harry took no little amount of glee in quickly bringing them up to speed about the events of the day. They were immediately taking notes and asking questions about specifics. Especially Laura Clarke seemed to be chomping at the bit to bury all involved parties in law suits._

 _But before she could open her mouth, Motley spoke up to claim the Department of Mysteries as his. The barrister apparently had contacts among the Unspeakables and thus could easily follow the fallout. He calmly assured Harry that just because there seemed to be some sort of investigation on the side of the Unspeakables, there was no reason not to make sure that there would be actual, cautionary consequences to deter anyone else from ever attempting something similar. The threat was clear, but Motley's peaceful, grandfatherly smile never so much as wavered on his face._

 _Reborn wasn't even trying to hide his bloodthirsty appreciation and Fon was looking on in definite approval._

 _Satisfied, Harry gave his lawyers the absolute go-ahead to get compensation for his 'distress' at having been sought after like a common criminal._

 _And as Harry, Reborn and Fon left for the Alleys, the Clarke siblings were still locked in an intense staring match, silently fighting over who got to go after the Order and who got to go after the DMLE._

 _Harry really should really send Luna a thank you note for originally pointing him in Motley's direction._

* * *

Chapter 20

Stepping into Form Alley just outside Motley's office, Harry considered what to do next.

Their next stop should probably be Gringotts, because the goblins' secure meeting rooms would be the best option for the explanation they had promised Fon.

But on the other hand, they had spent their entire day so far in arguments with either government personnel, lawyers or vigilantes, so maybe they could at least take a break before sitting down to rehash the details of their day and its various confrontations?

Honestly, Fon had to be wondering at this point whether there was anything to the Magical World _but_ arguing with self-entitled morons.

And, if Harry was entirely honest, seeing as this was their first time actually stepping foot into the Alleys, Harry would also love to show Reborn some of the Magical World's more intriguing sites. Because so far, his Sun hadn't seen all that much aside from the Ministry, Gringotts and St. Mungo's.

A hospital, a bank and a governmental building really weren't the most fascinating parts of any city, much less a city in the Magical World.

Harry had been looking forward to showing Reborn some of the things he had only been able to describe to his Sun before, like the joke shop – though they wouldn't be going there until George came back from his trip – or the Quidditch store or the various sweets shops or the Magical Menagerie or the Market.

To this day Harry still hadn't lost some of his wide-eyed wonder at the things you could find tucked away in the corners of the Wizarding World and he really wanted to share more of this fascinating world with his Sun.

And since Fon was already there... Harry had no problems dragging the Storm along. If the Chinese was actually going to stick with them, then it was only fair to show him what he was getting into.

With that conclusion in mind, Harry turned to the two Flame users who had been watching him as he tried to make up his mind.

"So, Gringotts should probably be our next stop for that discussion we need to have and it will only take a few minutes to go there directly. _Or_ we could take the more circuitous way through the Alleys? See some of the sights?" Harry suggested hopefully.

Reborn didn't even really need to think about it, immediately tilting his head in agreement to Harry's suggestion.

It was beyond time for him to gain some insight into British Wizarding society and what better place to start than in the middle of what appeared to be the very epicenter of Wizarding Britain. Although, his inability to resist his little Sky's obvious enthusiasm when suggesting a stroll, might also have something to do with his immediate assent.

He was promptly rewarded with a happy grin from his adorable Sky, which only widened once Fon nodded his approval as well.

As they started down Form Alley, Fon interestedly observed the two bonded Flame users interact.

Their bond was clearly strong, despite only having been formed a short time ago. And while the young Sky clearly held enormous sway over the Sun, he was also - seemingly instinctively - taking cues from his Guardian.

Newly harmonized pairs rarely had such an easy and balanced bond.

It was quite astonishing. Even more so when considering their circumstances.

A young – and until very recently _civilian_ – Sky bonded to one of the most feared members of the criminal underworld, with Sky Flames so pure they shone like a beacon and Qi so untainted it made Fon want to just hold still for a moment to simply breathe it in.

And the young Sky also seemed entirely unbothered by his single Guardian's protectiveness, the Sun walking as close to him as was physically possible without actually stepping on his toes.

Fon let his serene smile widen slightly. _Reborn in full protective mode. How entertaining._

If this was Reborn's base level of protectiveness with only civilians milling about... Fon didn't even want to imagine how Reborn would be acting once they inevitably came in contact with the criminal underworld. And gods above, the utter devastation if there was ever an actual threat levied at Reborn's Sky.

The Sun's protective fury might just level an entire country's criminal underworld in one go.

Although, if he was being entirely honest, Fon really had no right to comment, seeing as he had joined right in with Reborn in glowering at any magicals, who looked like they might be considering to come over and talk to the young Sky.

… considering that he himself had not even harmonized with the young Sky and was already acting like a jealous Guardian, Fon really was in no position to make fun of Reborn,.

And his own feelings of protectiveness for this Sky were another thing that was honestly surprising about the entire situation.

While it was normal for Flame users to generally want to protect Sky Flame users - especially if unbound themselves - Fon had long since mastered absolute control over his Flames. For them to still be urging him towards this young Sky was rather startling.

Fortunately, any magicals they came across promptly reconsidered approaching them once they had Reborn's and Fon's combined stares focused on them.

So, there were at least a few magicals who had retained _some_ sort of survival instincts.

 _I had honestly been starting to doubt that_ , Fon thought derisively.

Although, all of this just made Fon all the more curious about the young Sky.

Fon's list of questions seemed to just be getting longer and longer with every minute he spent with the other two Flame users.

 _How wonderfully intriguing_ , Fon thought with a serene smile as he leisurely followed after the bonded pair.

From Form Alley – where anything related to bureaucracy congregated - they turned onto Joe Vee Alley – where anything related to the arts as well as anything for recreation or hobbies could be found.

"There has been an ongoing fight between the different kinds of businesses to rename Joe Vee Alley. Particularly the acting branch has been trying to pass motions to rename this alley into Dramatic Alley or something along those lines with almost amusing frequency." Harry was explaining.

Somewhat counter-intuitively Joe Vee Alley was directly connected to Mort Alley - the place of any shops concerning themselves with the more dangerous applications of magic – crossing Knockturn Alley – the place of the shady businesses, but apparently also where the more dangerous and less prestigious businesses where located.

"A lot of creature-run and creature-catering stores are located in Knockturn Alley, which is actually far more expansive than most of the other Alleys. It even has its own side streets just like Diagon Alley but they are generally subsumed under Knockturn Alley by the 'reputable wizarding folk', who of course would _never_ step foot in here. Unless they need something less than legal or want to get to the red light district." Harry's derision at the Wizarding World's double standards was more than apparent.

Next came Bowtanic Alley – the name was pretty self-explanatory and Reborn had never seen a place quite this _green_ before outside of a forest – followed by Mat'eery Alley – the home of all magical crafts and arts.

Reborn had to admit, this network of streets was certainly far more expansive than he had assumed based on Harry's casual mention of 'the Alleys'. At Fon's question, Harry had reiterated what he had explained to Reborn before, namely that only Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley were actually _physically_ located here in London at all. The other Alleys were all located somewhere else entirely or even only existed in Wizarding Space. The different Alleys were only connected to the two main Alleys via so called Intervalleys, direct pathways through Wizarding Space.

"This way you can directly access the Alleys from numerous places in Britain." Harry mentioned.

 _But why make it so complicated?_ Reborn thought somewhat incredulously.

While most Alleys could easily be accessed, some Alleys could only be reached by jumping through ridiculous hoops. _Like having to turn left at Orb's Globe and actually walking through the store's sign out front boasting 'Naturally Spawned Crystal Balls, of all sizes and fortuities' in order to get to Mannew Alley._

Reborn still hadn't decided whether wizards simply lacked common sense entirely or whether some of them just had a very odd sense of humor.

 _Which would certainly explain a lot_ , he thought.

Still, it was actually quite relaxing to wander through London's Magical District, learning more about this world, while his Sky enthusiastically explained Wizarding Space to Fon. Who was by now taking full advantage of Harry's willingness to answer any and all questions he had.

Fon was clearly trying to feel Harry out. And it was setting Reborn's teeth on edge.

He knew that by now the Storm had to have figured out just what kind of Sky Harry was.

A Sky with ridiculously pure Flames, without ties to the world of organized crime and with a heart so kind it made you want to wrap him in cotton and never let the Mafia so much as fucking touch him.

In other words, Harry was _the holy fucking grail_ of the criminal underworld.

And having witnessed Harry's power – magical and political - earlier, having watched him unquestioningly and uncompromisingly command an entire room full of what amounted to this world's leaders…

That sort of power was _catnip_ for people like them.

But Reborn also _knew_ that Fon more than understood. Understood just what having a Sky meant to Reborn, understood the longing for Harmony, after having resigned yourself to the fact that there would never be a Sky strong enough to pull you in, much less one who would be _worthy_ of the devotion that came with Harmony.

They had never directly talked about it aside from a few comments here and there, but both of them had long since resigned themselves to the fact that their exceptional strength - the reason for their unusual freedom from most restrictions in the Mafia - would also prevent them from finding a Sky strong enough to harmonize with either of them. Much less one as pure and kind and strong - and _adorable_ \- as Harry.

And Harry and Fon had to be exceptionally compatible for the Storm to feel the pull of Harry's Flames half-way across the city and for Harry to be able to sense Fon's Flames and Qi despite the Storm's absolute control.

Reborn could almost _taste_ Fon's interest in Harry.

And honestly, it would be somewhat ridiculous to expect Fon to simply ignore these signs of absolute compatibility with a Sky strong enough to pull him in, especially considering that this Sky also clearly more than lived up to their other ridiculously high standards.

So, Reborn could already see where this was going. With this level of compatibility, it was almost a given that Fon was going to join Reborn as a Guardian sooner rather than later.

And Reborn was actually surprisingly okay with that.

His possessive side was practically _snarling_ at the thought of someone joining them, but having Fon walk on his Sky's other, _unprotected_ side had finally calmed his Flames - which had been almost frenziedly urging him to find additional protection for his Sky ever since they had left his safehouse in Italy - somewhat.

And as much as he would love to think otherwise – and despite Harry's assertion otherwise - Reborn _knew_ that with the activation of his Sky Flames Harry _would_ continue to gather Guardians around himself. It was in the very nature of Skies.

And Reborn himself wouldn't restrict his Sky by trying to interfere with that process. He would not.

Which, however, also meant that there was a certain chance of Harry picking incompetent Guardians or untrained Guardians or - god help him - he might exclusively stick to Guardians his own age or even younger as most Skies did.

A horrified shiver worked itself down Reborn's spine at some of the alternatives. Mio dio, he would be surrounded by a gaggle of children.

Yeah, no thanks.

If Reborn was going to _have_ to deal with other people as his Sky's Guardians, then Fon might just be his top pick for a position. The Triads' Enforcer, the Eye of the Storm, the Strongest Storm - claimed title or not - was one of the very few people in the criminal underworld who could not only keep up with Reborn but even bring something new to the table.

And he already knew he could trust Fon – unquestionably so if the Storm actually harmonized with Harry – and honestly Reborn might actually be glad for the help at some point considering his adorable little Sky's propensity for trouble.

If he was honest, Reborn could actually enjoy the thought of Fon joining them in shaking up this world of moronic, ignorant imbeciles - _the utter_ chaos _they would bring_ – or having Fon along for all the various talks Reborn was going to have with any wizards who had played not so wonderful roles in Harry's life.

If there was one thing that Fon excelled at, it was making everyone else look like bumbling fools compared to his unshakable calm.

So.

Reborn had a very good idea how this was going to end.

A thought which was only affirmed once Harry's Flames had started to sporadically curl – tentatively, curiously - in Fon's direction from time to time.

While Reborn was quite certain that Harry was not actually aware of what his Flames were doing - much less what it signified - he was just as certain that Fon was _more_ than aware of it. Although, so far the Storm had had the decency to refrain from letting his own Flames actually react.

He was clearly still trying to feel Harry out – to get a feel for what kind of person his Sky was, whether he would be worth the lifetime of devotion that came with Harmony – although Reborn knew that Fon would find the same thing he himself had.

That Harry was everything a Sky _should_ be.

Thus, it was a foregone conclusion in Reborn's mind that the Storm _would_ finally decide to try for Harmony with Harry.

 _Still, that doesn't mean I have to make it in any way easy for him,_ Reborn thought with wicked glee.

He hadn't had a good, all-out, hold-nothing-back fight in a long _long_ time. Reborn did nothing to suppress the bloodthirsty tilt that curled at the edges of his grin. Especially, when he felt an answering anticipation from Fon.

Still, that was a topic better to be ignored for now. If only to avoid being hunted down by the Vindice for revealing Flames to numerous bystanders in the fight that would inevitably follow whenever they decided to address this particular issue out loud.

Glancing at Reborn, Harry decided that neither did he _need_ nor did he _want_ to know what exactly was going through his Sun's head at the moment. Well, going by the happily malicious feel of his Flames and the vicious grin on his face, it was at least going to be entertaining.

If worse came to worse Harry would pretend to be entirely ignorant. He knew nothing.

He ignored the pulse of arousal that went through him at feeling his Guardian's bloodlust, the bond between them humming with the feeling of _protectpossessiveminesmugnessanticipation_. Nope, not getting into that right now.

Instead Harry was going to happily continue commentating whatever they came across and answering any questions Fon came up with.

And he was ever so glad that he and Fon were actually getting along– he entirely ignored why that was apparently so important to him – and that the Storm hadn't been put off by today's events. Ever since finding out about their watcher being some sort of ally or friend of Ren's, Harry had been somewhat worried about the impression he might make. But the more time they spent talking, Harry was getting the feeling that Fon was not actually finding him wanting.

 _How refreshing_ , Harry couldn't help but think.

Harry had quickly learned after first entering the Wizarding World when he was eleven, that it was never enough to be _just Harry_. Everyone always seemed to somehow expect _more_ of him. More knowledge, more effort, more money, more time. Just always, always, _always_ more.

Except for Ren, who - from the very beginning - had made it very clear that _just Harry_ was _exactly_ what he wanted.

And as they reached the end of Mannew Alley, Harry contentedly basked in the utter warmth immediately coiling through him at that thought of his Sun's acceptance.

Reborn interestedly glanced over at the feeling of utter contentment, of _warmthwelcomehappinessmineminemine_ that curled along their bond. Whatever had elicited that reaction from Harry, Reborn definitely wanted more of it. Not to even mention the slight blush on his Sky's cheeks.

So, when Harry came to a stop at the mouth of Mannew Alley, Reborn promptly stepped in close - letting his Flames curl possessively around his little Sky, the warmth from Harry's Flames only increasing - as he took in their surroundings.

After giving Reborn and Fon a few moments to catalogue their surroundings, Harry stated with a certain amount of flair, "Welcome to the Market."

And Reborn had to admit that this place certainly deserved the grand introduction.

They were standing in a huge square - seemingly the nexus of several Alleys diverging from here - bustling with activity and crammed with tiny stalls, fancy booths and what looked like grandiose portable stores, praising their foods, delicacies, cooking utensils, cleaning materials, pottery, woodwork, furniture, jewelry. Really, there seemed to be something of everything to be found here.

Harry continued his ongoing commentary, "The Market is Britain's central trading point, accommodating businesses from all over the world that either take up a permanent spot here or frequently travel between the various international markets. Some even only have a display here, while the connected shop is located somewhere else entirely."

Reborn listened to his Sky talk, even as he continued to take everything in.

There were quite a few foreigners - going by their appearance and clothing - milling about and manning the stalls as well as a colorful amalgam of creatures browsing the displays. Having read a few of Harry's various magical tomes, Reborn could at least recognize some of the creatures wandering between the stalls. There were numerous house elves shopping for groceries, leprechauns selling their gold as souvenirs to tourists, a group of pixies fighting over what appeared to be a very big red leaf and a creature that looked suspiciously like a sphinx, even though Reborn had not yet known those were actually real.

But that was only a fraction of all the different creatures he could see. He had no idea what to make of the rest that was flitting about the square.

Although, one look over at the Storm almost made Reborn cackle with glee. Fon's expression had gone entirely blank and even his serene smile was looking a little fixed right now.

Clearly, this went far beyond whatever Fon had been expecting when considering the implications of there being a Magical World.

And Harry clearly didn't even realize he had kind of broken the Storm. In his enthusiasm to share more of the Magical World with them, to show them some of the more colorful, more exciting parts, he had seemingly forgotten, that Fon had had no warning whatsoever on what to expect here.

Bless his little Sky's enthusiasm.

Fon was grateful that his signature serene smile had long since become his default expression. Because he doubted he would have been able to keep up his passive facade otherwise.

Because _nothing_ could have prepared him for this sight. Even having had time to assimilate the idea of there being a Magical World at all, he had not even come close to considering something like _this_.

Because just within the first few moments after stepping into the bustling square - and after overcoming his initial shock - Fon had already registered seventeen, clearly different kinds of beings. From tiny to absurdly tall, some with wings, some with horns, some with a tail. Some just looked like small old men that barely came up to his knee and some sported a full body of fur except for their human face. Some beings that almost seemed like humans mixed with something else, like the tiny flying beings with dragonfly wings, the men with a horse body or that woman with the cat ears. And everything intermingled with what appeared to be humans from all over the world.

…

 _How incredibly fascinating!_

And the young Sky just continued to commentate, as though he hadn't just made Fon realize, that the term 'humanity' was far more relative than had previously assumed.

But despite his distraction, he kept an ear on Harry's commentary about imps endogenous to Britain, Sasquatches originally from the Americas and Okamis from Japan.

Fon honestly felt slightly breathless with fascination.

Oh, Reborn and his Sky were _definitely_ not getting rid of him now. There was no way he would be going _anywhere_ until he had a chance to explore this world to his satisfaction. No way at all.

And his fascination only increased, as he watched people and beings from various parts of the world bow or at least nod respectfully as soon as they spotted Harry in their midst.

The utter respect afforded to the young Sky made it more than clear that Harry not only commanded respect with the government due to some sort of political leverage. No, this young Sky was clearly respected amongst beings from all parts of the world.

Esteem like this was not easily earned, even less so from _everyone_. It spoke of the young Sky not only _having_ power but also of him _wielding_ it in a way that yielded respect.

That was no easy feat.

And Fon could feel his Flames hum in anticipation for a chance to sate his curiosity, to ask all those questions on his now rather expansive list. He truly couldn't wait for that explanation he had been promised.

* * *

They spent far more time on the Market than Harry had originally intended. But neither Fon nor Reborn had seemed at all willing to leave that particular, utterly fascinating part of Magical Britain behind.

However, as they still wanted to have that discussion today they had to leave at some point to make their way to Gringotts. The quickest way was through Lojiqué Alley - where the residents prided themselves in their rational and critical thinking.

"Most publishing houses and newspapers of any kind are located here. Well, Britain's foremost Wizarding newspaper 'The Daily Prophet' was kicked out a long time ago and their headquarters is located in Diagon Alley now." Harry explained with clear derision.

At Fon's slightly questioning head tilt, he continued, "There is no such thing as journalistic integrity in Magical Britain. The libel laws haven't been changed in hundreds of years, a time when people were their own deterrent for slander, when honor still was everything and any sort of defamation was immediately met with a challenge for a duel."

Both Reborn and Fon promptly looked almost wistful at that description.

Harry suppressed his grin. He was sure that both, the thought of a society built on honor and integrity as well as the thought of frequently putting idiots into the ground, appealed to them.

"These days, duels are frowned upon, but there is still barely anything that can be done against slander. Well, unless you can prove that the writer was intentionally slanderous in order to profit personally. Then, however, the old defamation laws get very brutal very quickly and go far beyond losing one's career or being fined." He paused, thinking vindictively that a brief stint to Azkaban might actually not have been entirely undeserved for someone like Rita. "But because the general public much prefers reading juicy gossip to being educated and because it is so easy to get away with writing gossip, Britain's foremost magical newspaper turned into little more than a gossip rag."

Fon almost wanted to let his lip curl in derision. And going by Harry's bitterness there was clearly something more to this.

Fon absolutely abhorred people who were too lazy to put in the effort to educate themselves and actually form their own opinions. Just the idiocy required to read and then actually _believe_ pre-chewed garbage like that…

Although, it really wasn't that uncommon – a certain percentage of the populace everywhere on earth seemed to enjoy this sort of thing - but usually it wasn't the _foremost_ newspaper that participated in it. Well, except in those countries where freedom of speech was questionable at best, those places where the press had been turned into little more than the respective ruler's mouthpiece.

Which actually fit perfectly with his other observations, indicating that there had been a recent, rather radical and rather _brutal_ change in this society.

Fon commented, "It is certainly terrifying how closely gossip mongering and fear mongering appear to be related these days."

There was absolutely no joy in the young Sky's smirk. "Isn't _that_ the truth."

There was a brief pause before Harry continued, not even trying to hide his bitterness, "The Daily Prophet is doing a little better now, as they now have, both, a gossip column _and_ a news section in their paper. And the government even stopped persecuting the other newspapers that were never quite as close to their views and interests during the war."

Fon almost wanted to smirk at the casual mention of a war. The young Sky was quite good at this, explaining easily while giving an idea of the more difficult topics to come. And definitely good at keeping Fon's interest alive.

Still, Fon only noted down the mention of an actual war – so much more than a _conflict_ – but didn't actually ask Harry to explain now. That was truly a topic for a more private setting. The Sky's relief at Fon's willingness to play along for now was more than obvious, as he quickly moved on to the next topic by pointing out Arithmancy Square at the end of Lojiqué Alley.

Only to suddenly stop in the middle of his sentence.

Reborn immediately stepped in close at Harry's hesitation, but didn't let his Flames spread out any further. His Sky had clearly spotted something but didn't actually feel any sort of alarm. Rather there was brief flash of surprise and then joy that pulsed along their bond.

Harry lifted a hand and with a grin waved back at two teenagers - a boy and a girl, looking to be about Harry's age - who had just stepped into Logique Alley from Arithmancy Square.

Both of them wore answering smiles and immediately made their way over to them.

Reborn assessed the two teenagers as they came closer. The boy had brown hair, a rather strong built and one of those faces that would have made him look utterly harmless and forgettable, if it weren't for the deep, gauging scars on his face. The girl was just as attention-grabbing. Slight, with long blonde hair and graceful - almost flighty - movements. Strangely enough, her presence was weighty but also negligible, grabbing attention but averting it at the same time. The contrast was almost jarring to Reborn's senses.

Hm, his Sky certainly had interesting friends.

As the two teenagers reached them, the girl gave a little wave and the boy greeted, "Harry. Great to see you."

The boy was smiling openly at Harry but didn't even attempt to hide his appraising look in Reborn and Fon's direction. And his eyes spoke for him. This boy knew strife, knew conflict and hardship. Knew how to survive.

Going by what his Sky had told him about his friends, Reborn already had a pretty good idea who these two teenagers were.

His thoughts were confirmed when Harry greeted them with a smile, "Hi, Neville. Hi, Luna."

His Sky then - ever the epitome of British manners - immediately turned to introduce everyone.

Which was promptly commentated by the girl with, "Oh, Harry, how wonderful! You're gravity! Oh, daddy would be so excited. He has been hoping to see magnetism ever since that one witch in India gave him such interesting material on it. You should really come visit! Daddy would love to talk to you!"

There was a certain dreamy quality to the girl's way of speaking. But going by the reactions from both Harry and Neville, her statement wasn't to be ignored.

Reborn remembered Harry telling him about Luna having some sort of sight - or rather _insight_ \- for things that other people just weren't able to see. And even Reborn could tell that the girl had just pretty much told them that they should go visit her father because he would have information they wanted. Adding the fact that Harry's tomes liberally used the words gravity and magnetism when describing the apparent force drawing different Igneomancers together… Yeah, visiting her father was definitely to be added to their list.

Harry was clearly thinking along the same lines. "Thanks, Luna. I would love to visit. I'll try to come by as soon as I can." A pause. "How have you been doing?"

"Oh, just fine, Harry. I just wish we could have had more time for our expedition. It was such a wonderful holiday!"

Next to her, the boy gave a dramatic shudder, grumbling under his breath.

His Sky grinned at that, "Yeah, how was Greenland?"

The smile that touched the girl's face was distracted but honest, despite her eyes not entirely focusing on anything around her. "It was very interesting. And we had a lot of time to relax."

The boy at her side snorted and grumbled to himself, "Yeah, _relax_. That's the _totally_ the word _I_ would use."

The girl just reached over to absently pat the boy's arm as she continued, "Daddy had hoped to find some Yetis in Greenland to prove that they are not actually Tibetan but just Sasquatches in their winter pelts. But apparently Yetis are rather shy."

Harry nodded as though that sentence made any sense whatsoever, listening seriously but with a certain air of amusement as the girl described her father's various attempts at luring Yetis - which were apparently real, who knew?

She finished with, "And then, we almost did find some!"

Here, she was interrupted by the boy at her side snorting humorously, "Yeah, but we _didn't_ in fact find Yetis. No. Turns out we found a _Mahaha_ colony instead."

Harry snorted, making the boy immediately focus a humorously baleful stare on him.

"Yeah, laugh it up." He grumbled good-naturedly. "The Mahahas weren't even the worst of it. I can totally deal with Mahahas. But did you know that Wendigos apparently like to wander the outskirts of Mahaha colonies, hoping to get a bite out of their victims?"

The girl promptly lit up and didn't give Harry any time to respond to that rather chilling comment. "Yes, it was wonderful. Such an interesting cohabitation. Do you think that the Wendigos might have been courting them? Mahahas are all female, you know."

Harry was grinning. "No, I had no idea. But it certainly sounds interesting. Maybe you can take Neville and your father back to Greenland over the next holidays and investigate further."

It earned him a humorously betrayed look from Neville.

"Oh, shut up, Harry." He grumbled good-naturedly. "We had to run for our lives three times to avoid ending up as dinner. And most of the time, I had to physically drag both Luna and her father away with me, because they were distracted by a glowing rock or an especially beautiful tree."

Harry's grin only widened.

"Well, then I have to agree with Luna. After the last year, running for your lives just three times sounds pretty relaxing to me." A pause. "Admit it, Neville. You would have been bored to tears otherwise."

The boy snorted. "Actually, you know what? You're right." Then, slyly. "How about you come with us on our next trip? See how you like running from creatures you have never even heard of before."

Harry waved off the offer magnanimously, "Thanks, but I already have plans. And you know me. Life-threatening situations find me anywhere. No travel required."

"Isn't that the truth." The boy snorted. A pause as the mood abruptly turned somber. "Even in a hospital bed, I heard." He stated carefully.

"Yeah." Harry sighed. Then he tried for some levity. "You would have thought that Madame Pomfrey's wrath would be enough to deter _anyone_ from messing with those under her care. But apparently the Order lost the last of their common sense at some point during the war."

The other boy snorted in amusement but sobered again quickly, "What about Ron and Hermione?"

"As far as I know they are still looking for Hermione's parents in Australia, although they are supposedly planning to return to Hogwarts for the eighth year, so they might have made it back to Britain by now."

The boy's eyes had narrowed at Harry's answer, clearly gleaning more from it than had actually been said.

"I take it they lost the last of their common sense as well?" Neville asked dubiously.

"Sure seemed like it." Harry sighed in response.

There were a brief moment of silence, before the other boy asked carefully, "Have you had any contact with them?"

Reborn's Sky sighed, "Not so far. I'm not much looking forward to it either, to be honest."

"Yeah, I can imagine. I really don't get what they were thinking. But it certainly confirms our assumption that trouble literally finds you _anywhere_."

Here, the girl suddenly spoke up, the atmosphere changing abruptly as soon as she opened her mouth. She had that same absent look in her eyes as before, but her voice had gotten slightly deeper and there was no smile on her face.

"It is nearing, the Seven Evermore. Seeking to snare the Beacon and wrest its Bonds, to tatter its Orbit and drain its Blaze. Gaia's False Heralds, beware the Seven Nevermore."

A shiver worked itself down Harry's spine. This wasn't Luna's usual way of relaying her glimpses into the future and Harry felt distinctly reminded of the time he last witnessed a real prophecy in Trelawney's office.

He glanced at Neville who looked worried but not surprised. So, clearly this wasn't the first time Neville had heard Luna speak this way. _Just what had been done to the small blonde?_

Going by their tense frames, Reborn and Fon had clearly felt the change of atmosphere as well. Although, this didn't _sound_ like a prophecy. More like a statement of fact, like a warning. And he would do his utter best to heed it.

Harry looked back at Luna and said without hesitation. "Thank you for the warning, Luna."

Reborn watched apprehensively. He didn't like the sudden feeling of foreboding. At all.

At his Sky's reaction the girl's eyes cleared and her smile returned, her gaze completely focusing on Harry for the first time. She didn't say another word. But it was clear she was exhausted and going by his Sky's worried expression, he clearly thought so as well.

The boy, Neville, was watching her with worry and said, "We were just on our way to see Luna's father at the Quibbler's new office."

Harry nodded, asking worriedly, "You need help? We'll walk you there."

The boy actually smiled at that, "Thanks, but it's fine. It's literally just over there." The boy pointed to a building just a bit down the street. "I'll write, okay? And let's meet to catch up soon?"

Harry nodded, not wanting to push it - in case there was a reason for Neville's refusal of their help - and knowing that Neville would explain more in the letter.

"Yes, definitely. I'll write you as well."

"Talk to you soon, Harry."

A nod to both Reborn and Fon, and just a minute later the boy had guided the small blonde down the street and into a building on the right.

* * *

Reborn walked as close to his Sky as he possibly could without actually picking him up and carrying him.

Which actually didn't sound like such a bad idea right now.

Harry had clearly been unsettled by the girl's seemingly incoherent statement. If it hadn't been for the ominous atmosphere while the girl spoke, Reborn might not have even taken her seriously. But there had been something in her voice, in the very air around them that had given her colorful statement _weight_.

At Harry's other side, Fon was silent, lost in thought, though focused on something else entirely.

Ignoring the odd and rather abrupt ending to their conversation, meeting two people who were clearly counted amongst Harry's friends, felt like the final piece of the puzzle of this young Sky.

Because friendship like that - full of amusement and non-verbal communication and mutual protectiveness and reciprocal respect - was rare and it spoke of Harry's character to receive that sort of unquestioning loyalty from people who clearly knew him well. It only cemented Fon's observations about the young Sky.

Today had certainly shown him, just what kind of person Harry was.

Pure Flames, untainted Qi and radiant Magick. Respected by creatures of all kinds and from all over the world. Uncompromising strength and genuine compassion. And a soul so bright and kind and generous that it had the World's Greatest Hitman practically _besotted_ with the young Sky.

A Sky who appeared to have experienced strife in his life – enough to be weary but not to become hateful - and who knew loss – enough to desperately treasure his bonded, but still willing and able to trust.

A Sky whose Flames continued to sporadically tug at Fon's own Flames from time to time.

And he was truly glad for Reborn - for his comrade and for his friend - to finally have found Harmony. But Fon was also selfish enough to have hoped ever since the Sun's smug introduction of his Sky that - if this Sky actually proved himself worthy of the devotion that came with Harmony - Fon might be considered for a position of Guardian.

It wasn't even a question of whether this Sky would be strong enough to harmonize with him. Fon held no doubt that regarding the pure strength of their Flames Reborn had him quite clearly beat. It had always been Fon's Qi, his martial arts, his absolute and uncompromising control that had let him keep up with Reborn at all. So if this Sky was strong enough to bind Reborn he would definitely be strong enough for Fon. No question.

And Fon thought, _yes, this is a true Sky, a Sky worthy of the devotion that comes with Harmony, this is a Sky I could happily follow_.

And Fon _wanted_.

Well, that was his decision then, apparently.

And clearly Reborn had also realized that something had changed - his gait turning even more predatory and his eyes in the shadow of his Fedora meeting his with intent challenge - but Fon decided that he was still selfish enough to try.

Another beat of silence.

"So."

There was a brief pause in which the Sky also realized that something in the dynamic between them had just changed drastically.

He was glancing between the two of them with bright eyes but seemed entirely unworried. Fon noted to himself just how extraordinary this young Sky's intuition had to be for him to realize the threat but dismiss any danger posed to himself and his bonded.

Though Harry was not clear on what exactly was going on between the two men, he was also very aware that they were gearing up for a fight. Harry tried to ignore the pulse of arousal at feeling his Guardian's blood thirst at the thought of a decent fight.

And Merlin help him, Fon seemed to be enjoying the thought of a decent fight just as much as his Sun.

 _Yeah, Fon will fit in just perfectly with us_ , Harry thought amused as his own Flames pulsed in anticipation.

He spared only a brief moment of surprise at how factual that statement was – not _might_ fit or _would_ fit, but _will_ fit, like it was a foregone conclusion – but dismissed it just as quickly. Their entire day had been leading up to this specific revelation. Harry's surprise was minimal and his Flames and magic pulsed outward happily at the thought of Fon possibly joining them soon, firmly covering all three of them.

Harry stumbled.

Something was coming, a warning pulsing through him, everything in him on high alert. He was abruptly reminded of Luna's warning just a few moments ago. Which only increased the foreboding feeling.

Then, there was a shift.

Fon and Reborn barely suppressed a flinch. And suddenly, abruptly something was _wrong_.

Harry had stopped walking, his eyes unfocused, directed at the ground, as though focusing all his attention on something that he still could not quite grasp.

The atmosphere around them changed drastically.

Something - _someone_ \- was watching them, _inspecting_ them.

It was an odd feeling.

Harry abhorred it.

It felt as though someone had suddenly focused on them, someone who was able to see past some of Harry's most fortified defenses.

And that _something_ was prodding at his magical presence.

A shudder of revulsion worked itself down Harry's spine at the incredibly invasive feeling.

Reborn could practically hear something buzz just below his usual range of perception and he could see Fon slightly tilting his head to the side as though to listen more closely.

And whatever it was, the feeling was familiar. As though it had been there for quite some time but somehow remained _just_ below his perception. It was as though the presence had to exert far more power in order to focus on them, like trying to push past some sort of barrier. But also like it had long since been there. And Reborn hadn't noticed.

That was entirely unacceptable.

Fon let his eyes open, his smile completely gone, while Reborn's eyes disappeared entirely in the shadow of his Fedora.

Harry's eyes narrowed, as his Flames and magic snapped viciously.

Because the prodding was now trying to push _past_ his magic, trying to reach further, trying to reach his _core_. His core where the warmth of his Flames had turned into a blazing, protective inferno. His core where his magic was curling aggressively, viciously awaiting a chance to tear the intruder apart. His core where his bond to Reborn was.

Harry had no idea _who_ or _what_ this was, did not know their intention. He also couldn't care less.

It was trying to reach his bond, his Guardian, his _soul bonded_. And well, Harry already had enough experience with people trying to mess with his soul to last him a lifetime. He had eradicated the last person who had tried. He was definitely able and _all too willing_ to do so again.

He gathered his magic and let it swell. A shield of malevolent magic, a furious, fiery blaze of protection, stretching outwards and tearing at that presence trying to reach within him, making sure that whatever was prodding at him felt his utter displeasure.

The presence was pushed backwards. But it was still there, unrelentingly trying to grasp something.

With Luna's voice ringing in his head, Harry felt himself slipping back into his war mindset, where immediate reaction was the only way to stay alive. He knew that he might be entirely overreacting. He also could not care less.

"We are leaving."

Harry didn't even consider leaving Fon behind who had calmly been following along with them. Well, they had been planning to have a discussion anyways. Why not add this to the list.

Reborn was already as close to Harry as he could possibly get, not even needing to agree out loud. It went unsaid.

Fon tilted his head in agreement, but he almost wanted to raise his eyebrows at the sudden command resonating in the Sky's voice. That was not a tone of voice a _teenager_ should be able to carry.

Fawkes appeared in front of him.

And as Fawkes' Phoenix Fire joined the furious swell of Harry's magic along their Familiar bond, Harry made sure to make his fury, his implacable wrath be felt.

Not a thought later and they were gone, leaving the invasive presence behind desperately trying to keep its hold of them.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry for the cliffhanger! The explanation just didn't fit this chapter at all. You'll get it in the next chapter!

I'm really sorry for taking so long to update, but this was a really weird chapter to write. I knew where I wanted it to go, but just couldn't figure out how to get there. And honestly I'm still not at all happy with it, but I hope by posting it I will be able to finally move the story along.

I know, lots of introspection for everyone but I needed to get them to this point of considering Fon a Guardian potential. I hope this feels like a generally organic development... And this chapter turned out far more world-buildy than I had originally intended. I got kind of lost in expanding Wizarding London ^^

And kudos to anyone who spotted all the FF7 references ('cause, apparently that's a thing in this chapter ^^;)

As always thanks for all your reviews, they kept me coming back to this story despite the muses leaving me :) You guys are awesome!


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